Two carloads and a big thank you!

Every month for the last 14 years, Russ Fystrom has shown up after the first Sunday, collected all of the non-perishable food items and supplies donated by our congregation, and delivered them down to Community Emergency Services, located at 1900 11th Ave In Minneapolis.

This food shelf for the neighborhood and beyond is a beacon of hope, providing all sorts of food and essentials to those in need.

The challenge to this congregation was to see if we could fill the Narthex altar with 50 bags of non-perishable food items. This congregation responded by providing 65 full grocery bags and over 50 boxes of diapers.

This month, like all months, sees Russ Fystrom masterfully turn his vehicle into a game of Tetris, utilizing every square foot of advertised cargo space. This time though, the outpouring of Good Shepherd’s generosity required a second car to make the trip, what a great problem to have.

Upon arrival, the unloading begins. Wheeled cart after wheeled card of donations are moved in, down the freight elevator, weighed, and then left for the dedicated staff and volunteers to refill the shelves with these life-giving supplies. This trip was 891lbs. of food and diapers (a good haul indeed)

Worth noting that the freight elevator was purchased by the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd Foundation 10 years or so ago and is a massive blessing in itself. Before that investment, those donations were carried by hand through some pretty tight and tricky spots to get to the food shelf.

Community emergency services are open by appointment 3 days per week and open without appointment each Friday for individuals to come in and shop for food and other necessities. Necessities that we perhaps take for granted.

Taking time to focus on Community Emergency Services this month, as we highlight the feeding ministries that we are privileged to partner with is an important way for us to name the powerful and impactful work CES does in our backyard.

A very special thank you to Russ Fystrom, his dedication to this ministry is extremely valuable, and without his time, commitment, and compassion this simply would not happen each month.

The first Sunday of every month is Food Shelf Sunday. Your nonperishable donations are always welcome in the Narthex.

This is a beautiful partnership, let’s keep it going.

Check out the CES Facebook post where they gave Good Shepherd a shout-out for all of our donations!

For more information about CES and its impact please visit https://cesmn.org/

Written by Mark Halvorson, Director of Congregational Ministries