How to Help Our Community in a Pandemic

Apr 23, 2020 | News

By: Vickie Denning, Communications

Interfaith Community Services (ICS), our ministry partner, has stepped up its game during the current pandemic. It has seen a 30% increase in visitors to its food bank over the same time last year. That means ICS is seeing 100-140 families per day at the food bank. Read that again. 100-140 families are asking for help to feed their families every day. ICS is also increasing its emergency financial assistance capacity and is increasing appointment slots each day to serve more people.

So, what can we do?

  • Continue to bring in nonperishable foods. We know — we know without a doubt how generous you are. So we ask, if you are able, that you continue to bring in nonperishable foods so that we can share our pantry with ICS. We will reach even more in crisis through the established and trusted programs of ICS.
  • Make your skills available. The quilters in our congregation made cloth masks — lots of cloth masks — to aid in slowing the spread of the virus. They gave 250 to Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest (LSS-SW) for use by direct care workers in the agency’s Aging and Disability Services. More masks were made available to our congregation for a suggested $5 donation. Those donations will be donated to ICS. All due to a group of women who said we see a need and we can help meet it.
  • Offer financial support. TVLC will continue to offer its budgeted financial support to ICS. But, we also look for new ways to supplement funding during these difficult times. Are you fortunate enough to be able to share your financial resources? You can donate to TVLC and direct the funds to ICS. Or you can donate directly to ICS. Or one of our other ministry partners.

Ministry partners are organizations that share our values and are committed to reaching out to those in need. Most of our ministry partners work in in Southern Arizona. Some reach around the world. The list includes Agua Prieta Family Shelters, Southern Arizona American Red Cross Blood Drives, Baby Hats, Campus Ministry, ELCA World Hunger, ICS, Lutheran Disaster Response, LSS-SW, Mobile Meals of Southern Arizona, and Village of Hope in Haiti. And, they are all asking for help during this crisis.

Their services range from building housing for those in extreme poverty in the Mexican state of Sonora to providing education and health care in Haiti. ICS helps people in need in Tucson to achieve stable, healthy, and independent lives while the mission of LSS-SW is to provide services in aging and disability, children and family, refugee and immigration, and emergencies.

ICS and our other ministry partners? Simply put, they rock. They have programs and systems in place to reach people and places in ways that we could not do on our own. You’ve heard it before, but it’s worth repeating — we’re all in this together.