food items, school supplies and flood buckets. The trucks went to Brooklyn, N.Y. and helped serve many families on Staten Island. A third truck is scheduled to make the trip on December 21. In addition to the above items, gift cards to national chain discount stores or building centers and thermal underwear for men, women and children are needed. Donations can be delivered or shipped to the LSS Distribution Center/ Sandy Relief at 810 Main St, Caldwell, Ohio 43724.
Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio Newsletter
A Reason to be Thankful
Winter Quarter
v Volunteers load up the truck with donations bound for Sandy victims.
Tracing its roots to 1912, LSS is a nonprofit social service agency affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and recognized by the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. LSS provides human services for all people according to their needs. These services include food pantries, emergency shelters, affordable senior housing, retirement living, skilled nursing care and other services that strengthen communities.
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Creating a Better World by Serving People in Need.
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Inside President’s Message pg. 2 End of Year Giving pg. 2
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LEADER
THE
When Hurricane Sandy hit the eastern US on October 29, Mary Woodward, LSS director of Community Response and Lutheran Disaster Response Ohio coordinator, got to work. “We are prepared to help our brothers and sisters in need through donations of needed items, volunteer assistance with debris removal and long-term recovery,” said Woodward. On both November 13 and 30, a 48-foot semi-trailer was loaded at the LSS Distribution Center in Caldwell with blankets, cleaning supplies, water, hygiene kits, nonperishable
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Lending a Helping Hand to Victims of Sandy
Faith Mission Administration Building Relocated pg. 3
While the focus of Thanksgiving should be on giving thanks, it’s hard to ignore that the food frequently takes center stage. A perfectly cooked turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce and stuffing – these are the things we often look forward to the most. Thanksgiving can then be a hard day for those who can’t afford to put food on the table, let alone a holiday dinner. This is the unfortunate reality most of the folks face who come to our LSS Food Pantries. To help alleviate this, we offer a special giveaway of Thanksgiving meal bags with the side dishes needed to make a traditional holiday feast. Families also received a large, 7-8 pound roasting hen. This year, we were able to distribute 8,375 special Thanksgiving meals. John and his family received one of these meal bags. Only 45 years old, John has had eight heart attacks. Now the doctors believe they have him on the right medication, so hopefully he will not have another one. To add to the family’s hardship, John’s wife suffers
from brain tumors and has had several surgeries. Given their health issues, the couple cannot work and the disability checks aren’t enough to get by. The couple also has nine grandchildren who frequently come over. Like many families, John and his wife often care for their grandchildren because their children are also going through tough times. Without the LSS Food Pantries, John says he and his family would go hungry. That’s especially hard on Thanksgiving. “I wouldn’t have anything for Thanksgiving if I couldn’t come here. I couldn’t imagine not being able to celebrate the holiday by having a meal with my family.” Since John is unable to work, he tries to give back as much as he can by volunteering at the LSS Champion Ave. Food Pantry and also Arc Industries. “I’m a miracle person. I’ve been through a lot and for that I’m truly thankful.”
Treating the Whole Person pg. 3 Lending a Helping Hand to Victims of Sandy pg. 4
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John holds up a list with his grandchildren’s names and ages.
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Please make your check payable to Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio 500 W. Wilson Bridge Rd., Ste. 245 • Worthington, Ohio 43085 Name _____________________________________________ or donate online at: www.lssco.org Address ____________________________________________ Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law. City/State/Zip_______________________________________ You will receive a receipt. Phone ( )______________________ Email_____________________________
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Creating a Better World by Serving People in Need
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