Almost 30,000 diapers were donated by local Lutheran churches to Lutheran Family Services Rupert Dunklau Center for Healthy Families in Fremont on Friday.
Nearly 30,000 diapers were donated by local Lutheran churches to Lutheran Family Services Rupert Dunklau Center for Healthy Families in Fremont on Friday.
Jo-Ann Johnson, administrative assistant at Trinity Lutheran Church, stands amid a small mountain of diapers in the fellowship hall before they were delivered to Lutheran Family Services Rupert Dunklau Center for Healthy Families in Fremont.
A small mountain of diapers can be seen in the fellowship hall before they were delivered to Lutheran Family Services Rupert Dunklau Center for Healthy Families in Fremont.
With their combined drives, Trinity and Good Shepherd Lutheran churches donated almost 30,000 diapers to Lutheran Family Services Rupert Dunklau Center for Healthy Families in Fremont last week.
Trinity collected 21,292 diapers, while Good Shepherd collected 8,665 for the churches' annual Diaper Derby Challenge, which ran from Mother's Day to Father's Day.
"It was a record-breaker," said Jo-Ann Johnson, administrative secretary at Trinity. "Because we've been doing this for 12 years, so that's the most we have ever delivered over there for a combined total."
With 12 derbies under their belts, Trinity and Good Shepherd are now tied with six wins each.
"Regardless of who won, the real winners are our neighbors next door," said Kristie Webb, administrative assistant at Good Shepherd. "That's who we collect for, is for those families next door and the families that need that."
As Trinity collected about 17,000 diapers last year, Johnson said the Rev. Anthony Gerber challenged the congregation to donate at least 20,000 for this year.
"We kind of set our goal a little higher this year, and they really exceeded it," Johnson said. "It just has been a fun event this year, everybody was responsive to it."
Johnson said she knew with the COVID-19 pandemic that members stuck at home were looking for a way to give back to the community.
"They could either deliver them or bring them on Sundays; They could bring them in during the business hours during the week or they could order them on Amazon and have them delivered directly to us through," she said. "So we had them coming in that way as well."
Webb said members of Good Shepherd were able to bring diapers in to the church or donate money, which would then be used to buy diapers for the drive.
"They were so willing to give, and especially that last week, we had a push," she said. "We had donations given, money donations that we were able to go out and purchase diapers then."
On Friday, the almost 30,000 diapers were delivered to Lutheran Family Services.
"We're just super thankful," Program Manager Michelle Padilla said. "Since over the last year with COVID and the flood back-to-back on that, we just depleted a lot of our materials that we give out or have people earn in our incentives program."
With the annual event, Padilla said Lutheran Family Services is always appreciative of the churches' donation, which she called "crazy" this year.
"I wasn't sure that they'd be able to do it this year because of everything that's been happening," she said. "But they did, they pulled it off and they did it well."
Johnson said Lutheran Family Services was "overwhelmed" by the response and generosity of the church members' donations.
"They were just really happy about us doing the drive this year," she said, "It really helps them out and helps them reach out to families, and they're recently just now getting to the point where they can actually help people in person instead of having to do it online."
Webb said she is looking forward to next year's event as a tiebreaker between the two churches, but knows that it's more than just that.
"The reason that we do it isn't for us," she said. "I mean, it's a fun challenge with Trinity, but the true winners are the families that get the diapers next door that need them."
Prince Harry won a substantial amount of money in his recently concluded lawsuit against a tabloid, and will be donating the sum to charity.
After the coronavirus pandemic and resulting lockdowns roiled the global economy, as people were thrown out of work or took cuts to their paychecks, the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana burst at the seams trying to keep up with record demand.
June 29, 2021 at 07:00PM
https://ift.tt/3dr9tNo
Lutheran churches donate nearly 30,000 diapers to families in need - Fremont Tribune
https://ift.tt/2Comt7j
Diapers
No comments:
Post a Comment