Northeast News
Jan. 20, 2010

The can-do spirit has taken hold at Children’s Memorial Lutheran Church.

The leaders of the church at 5001 Independence Ave. have undertaken the effort to raise $10,000 in one year through collecting 1 million aluminum cans. Church member Steve Richardson said the money is needed in order to replace the church’s stove and oven, which have seen plenty of wear and tear over more than 40 years.

“The ovens were put in in 1969 when we did some remodeling,” Richardson said. “We still use them, but parts are getting hard to find.”

The church is in such great need of working kitchen equipment because of its many outreach meals it offers. The church feeds more than 200 people every week, and on Thanksgiving and Christmas, more than 1,000 meals come out of the Children’s Memorial kitchen.

The church has offered Northeast Hope, a prayer service and lunch on Saturday mornings, for the pat 15 years.

“It’s just open to anyone who wants to come have lunch,” Richardson said. “In the wintertime, you can come in and have a meal and get warm and enjoy the fellowship.”

Additionally, the church opens its free clothing closet staffed by Gloria Dei Lutheran Church during Northeast Hope.

“I think we do get a lot of people [for whom] this is the only hot meal they get during the week,” Richardson said.

Now the church is adding another weekly meal — on Tuesday nights from 5:30-6:30 at the church. Bible study will follow the free meal next door at a member’s home. Richardson said the Tuesday night meals and Bible studies will likely extend to more nights of the week at a later date when the kitchen appliances are up to snuff.

Richardson said he’s hoping people will hold their aluminum cans back from the trash and recycle bins this year and save them for Children’s Memorial. He said the church would even supply the garbage bags to store them in and pick them up from individuals’ homes.

To donate your aluminum cans, call the church at 241-2097 or Richardson at (816) 721-7606.