| Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota's mission is to express the love of Christ for all people through service that inspires hope, changes lives, and builds community. Their 2,300 staff serve nearly 100,000 people of all ages in each of Minnesota’s 87 counties and in more than 300 communities. With an annual budget of $94 million funded from public, private and charitable sources, LSS is the state’s largest, nonprofit social service organization. |
Lord of Life members are asked to share their talents and blessings with others. The following are ways to serve:
Tuesdays Together: LSS's Center for Changing Lives, located in the Phillips community of Minneapolis, provides this program for community support. The mission of Tuesdays Together is providing a sense of community for LSS housing residents and the surrounding neighborhood to congregate, enjoy a meal, and learn about available services. Lord of Life's benevolence funds, combined with a matching grant from Thrivent, is providing the financial support to continue this program for another year. To volunteer or for more information contact Sandy Munson at 763.416.4636 or rsmunson@embarqmail.com.
Extreme Make-Over Team: Volunteers help with building maintenance and cleaning, with turnaround in apartments and with donations needed for families. When a turnaround is pending, team members are contacted to see who is available to help. These opportunities often come up with a week’s notice, and we want to be able to get apartments ready as soon as possible to help move families out of the homeless shelter. We will coordinate our activities via email or phone. We will coordinate to make evening or weekend opportunities available and give as much notice as possible. Each member of the team also attends one of our quarterly orientations or trainings to learn about the program and the families we serve.
Volunteers needed: 15
Timeframe: 2-4 hours
Family Gatherings: are special events that involve a number of volunteer components. Each gathering is a celebration that highlights some of the positive things going on for families. Dinner is a part of the evening, kids’ activities, and time for adults to build trust and relationship with each other. The events usually last for two hours and are a 2-3 hour commitment for volunteers. Volunteers can help with decorations and setup; prepping and serving the dinner (4-5 vols); planning and leading children’s activities (5-10 vols); helping with facilitated discussion with parents (4-6 vols); and clean-up.
Monster Truck Team: needs people and trucks to help families move household belongings, help pick up donations, or haul on cleaning days. Be the crucial link between donors and families so families can make their new start with furniture. Members of the team will receive an email message with possible dates and times and can respond with their availability. Each member of the team also attends one of our quarterly orientations or trainings to learn about the program and the families we serve.
Volunteers needed: No maximum, average 2-4 per move
Timeframe: Average move takes 2-3 hours
Additional volunteer opportunities:
Assist in weekly U.S. citizenship class for refugees. Help provide transportation for older adult attendees in addition to assisting with classes. Volunteers will help refugees learn spoken English by facilitating conversation circles. New volunteer opportunities are posted daily! View the LSS website to learn more.
For more information, contact Jane Bergstrom at janeb@lordoflife.org or 763.420.5015 or contact Lord of Life's LSS Ambassadors Bob and Sandy Munson at rsmunson@embarqmail.com.