How we give back to our community
Patchwork Quilts
This is a fellowship opportunity to make patchwork sewn quilts that are given to Lutheran World Missions, or more locally to homeless shelters, women’s shelters, the fire department and other groups as we learn of them. The group meets on weekday afternoons and evenings — see the weekly bulletin for specifics!
You do not need to come every week, or stay the whole time. Most importantly, you do not need to have sewing skills! There will be several tasks for all skill levels.
Food Drive
Several times a year, Lord of Love holds a month long food drive to collect items for the local food pantry. Items donated include canned and shelf stable food, as well as personal care items such as shampoo and diapers. These items are delivered to the DeForest Area Food Pantry located at 4434 Second Street in Windsor.
Drumstick Drive
Each fall, the congregation holds a drive to collect the fixings for 20 or more complete Thanksgiving meals. The families to receive the meals are selected by the DeForest Area Needs Network. Meals include the fixings to allow a family to cook the traditional Thanksgiving meal including the turkey, stuffing, gravy and cranberries. Families come to Lord of Love on a designated day to pick up their food items. Larger families receive larger quantities to help ensure they have enough.
Giving Tree
Each Christmas Season, Lord of Love hosts their Annual Giving Tree. This tree is decorated with “ornaments” that list a specific request from a child in need in our community. The DeForest Area Needs Network determines which children participate and submits the requests to the church. Our members select a tag and purchase the requested item(s). These gifts are then delivered to the area distribution site to be given to the families in advance of Christmas. This way each child on the list receives at least three gifts at Christmas, that they have requested.
Designated Offerings
At times, there are severe tragedies that have impacted our nation or areas around the world. Lord of Love collects designated offerings when these type of situations occur. We know that all the blessings we have are gifts from God, and that we have a responsibility to reach out to our neighbors in Christian love. Recent designated offerings included helping the Sun Prairie Community after the gas explosion in 2018 and donating to help coastal areas impacted by hurricanes or flooding. These designated offerings occur when significant need arises.
Helping Hands
Lord of Love has recently began participating in the area Helping Hands Drive. This is a collection of specific items that are used to make Emergency Care Boxes for those in the community. These boxes contain numerous items that can be used by an individual or family who has become suddenly homeless. The boxes are distributed by either the DeForest Police Department or a school social worker. Items included in the boxes are food, beverages, personal care items, gift cards, hand warmers, laundry pods and quarters for laundry.
