Day of Service 2022

In celebration of our 2022 Synod Assembly theme, Hope for Today, Strength for Tomorrow Through Community in Christ, SEPA Synod will hold a Day of Service April 23. The day begins at 9 a.m. with a Sendoff for Service from Bishop Davenport broadcast to all sites.  The day ends at 1 p.m. or earlier as projects are completed (unless otherwise specified by your site).

Volunteers from our region have planned a wide variety activities including work in food pantries, packing meals for Rise Against Hunger, fixing homes in storm damaged areas of Philadelphia with Lutheran Disaster Response, assembling welcome home kits for those transitioning out of homelessness in Sanctuary Village, packing comfort kids used by Lutheran Settlement House for children suddenly in emergency placement as well as work at their shelter, spring startup of a community food garden, outside cleanup projects and much more!  There will be something for everyone.

 

Learn more: Volunteer Sites | Donate | Sponsor

 

All participants must register in advance by April 16.  Minors must be accompanied by a guardian.

Check the list below to learn about the service sites then click here to register:

REGISTER NOW →

Dates don’t work for you?  You can still help! You can make a gift to help cover supply costs. 

DONATE NOW →

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Volunteer Sites

All projects take place April 23, 2022 except the Rise Against Hunger meal packing event hosted by Chester Conference at Advent Lutheran.  To coordinate with the Rise Against Hunger Team the project will take place May 21, 2022.

Don’t see a project in your conference? Our list is growing.

Contact Cschwab@sepa.org to be updated when new sites are added.

 

Sites: Lower Montgomery | Upper Bucks | Upper Montgomery | Chester | Lutheran Disaster Response (Eastwick) | Lutheran Settlement House | Feast of Justice | Northeast/Northwest Conference

 

Site 1: Lower Montgomery Conference

Location:  Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, Kulpsville, 2211 Mainland Road, Harleysville, PA 19438

Projects:

• Sorting, shelving, and cleaning for The Shepherd’s Shelf, an emergency food cupboard
• Packing Welcome Kits for Sanctuary Village residents
• Crafting wreaths for Sanctuary Village doors
• Preparing the Food Pantry Garden for spring planting – raking, tilling, preparing raised beds for planting.
• Working on the walking path by stacking logs, spreading mulch, and dragging branches to be chipped

Volunteer donations toward the cost of welcome kit supplies are appreciated. Online gifts can be made at https://bit.ly/ServiceDayDonations Each kit includes a large tote, bed pillow, twin sheet set, welcome mat, large tote, hanging bath caddy, twin sheet set (2 hand towel, 2 washcloth, 2 bath towel), brush, comb, set of full sized toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, deodorant), laundry detergent, and box of dryer sheets.  Donations will also go toward fleece for blankets and craft supplies for door wreaths.

REGISTER NOW →

 

Site 2: Upper Bucks Conference

Location:  Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 69 W Broad St., Souderton PA, 18964

Projects:

Supporting Emmanuel’s E-Meal program by

• Receiving, break down, and storing 100 or more boxes of mixed food items
• Assembling food boxes for distribution that day and to build an inventory
• Special care packages including cleaning products for distribution that day and during the following week
• Cleaning refrigerators and freezers
• Distribution of food to clients
• Making up individual meal bags to build inventory
• Assembling fruit and snack bags for Bread Drop Ministries

Volunteers, if they are able, are encouraged to bring items with them for the food ministry such as peanut butter, jam or jelly, cans of tuna, soup, cereal bars, canned meals, granola bars, individual packed raisins, applesauce cups, snacks and chips, mac and cheese cups, ramen packs, juice boxes, gluten free items, packs of napkins or lunch bags, quart or gallon Ziploc bags.

Download: flyer and bulletin insert

REGISTER NOW →

 

Site 3: Upper Montgomery Conference

Location: New Hanover Evangelical Lutheran Church, 2941 Lutheran Road, Gilbertsville, PA 19525

 Projects:

• Garden of Hope (Food Garden) – planting seeds, mulching, weeding and possibly planting trees alongside the garden
• Picnic Grove – Raking leaves, picking up sticks, cleaning the pavilion and accompanying facilities
• Cemetery – Straightening and cleaning tombstones
• Crafting and assembling items related to the food ministry, nursing homes, and shut-ins

REGISTER NOW →
 

Site 4: Chester Conference

Location:  Advent Lutheran Church, 1601 Green Lane , West Chester, PA 19382

IMPORTANT: Due to the Rise Against Hunger’s team availability, this project will be held Saturday, May 21, 2022.  Rise Against Hunger uses a separate registration system (link below).  

Project:

• Working together to assemble 10,000+ meals as part of Rise Against Hunger. These meals will feed some of the most impoverished people overseas.

Each set of 10,000 meals cost approximately $3500 to complete.  Volunteer donations toward the cost of meals are appreciated.

REGISTER WITH RISE AGAINST HUNGER →

 

Site 5: Lutheran Disaster Response

Location:  Eastwick Neighborhood of Philadelphia  

IMPORTANT:  For this site volunteers must 18 or over, have covid vaccinations, and have up to date tetanus shots.  Teams will work in small groups limited to the first 12 registrants.  This project will end at 3:30 p.m.

Projects:

• This site is in tremendous need of volunteers as part of the ongoing work to repair over 45 homes with significant wind and water damage resulting from the August 2020 Tropical Storm Isaias.
• Volunteers who have basic skills in framing and hanging drywalling, insulation, painting, trim replacement, door, window, or floor replacement are sought but all volunteers are welcome.
• Any individuals who are not able to volunteer on Service Day but are willing to help at a future date with the ongoing efforts should contact Julia Menzo at Liberty Lutheran (JMenzo@libertylutheran.org), for more information.

REGISTER NOW →
 

Site 6: Lutheran Settlement House

Location: Lutheran Settlement House, 1340 Frankford Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19144

Note:  Limited to the first 20 volunteers.

Project:

• Organizing LSH’s donation rooms for our Domestic Violence Program and the Senior Center.
• Volunteers will be sorting and categorizing donations and organizing items onto the new shelving. The goal is to have a space where DV clients can come and “shop” for what they need, and for the senior center supplies to be easily accessible for different projects and classes.
• Outdoor projects gardening such as readying the planters for spring on the outside of the building.
• Any volunteers who would like to donate flowers for the outside projects, please contact Cschwab@sepa.org to coordinate.

REGISTER NOW →

 

Site 7: Northeast and Northwest Philadelphia Conference

• Painting and cleaning at the new Feast of Justice location.  Feast of Justice is an organization working to address hunger in Northeast Philadelphia.

Site 8:  Northeast and Northwest Philadelphia Conference

• Assembling breakfast kits for Feast for Friends, a nonprofit organization that helps the elderly home bound, veterans and families in need with frozen meals and shelf stable food.

REGISTER NOW →

 

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Do you like to sew?

100 drawstring backpacks are needed for comfort kits for children in emergency placement through Lutheran Settlement House.

Contact Cschwab@sepa.org for an easy tutorial that can be completed at home and brought to the Service Site.

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Donations Needed

We’ve made an ambitious goal to raising $15,000 in gifts to cover the supplies for all the projects.

DONATE NOW →

Some of the item we need:

• 100 Drawstring backpacks
• 50 Assorted Children’s Coloring Books
• 50 Assorted Journals
• 50 24 ct. Crayons
• 100 Colored Pencils
• 100 Pencil Sharpeners
• 50 Assorted Stuffed Animals Kits from Bdaybears.com
• 50 Assorted Card Games (such as Uno, Phase 10 etc.)
• 50 Headphones or Ear Buds
• 50 Markers or Gel Pen Sets
• 50 Teen/Adult Coloring Books
• 24 Large Plastic Totes with Lids
• 24 Twin Sheet Sets
• 24 Bed Pillows
• 24 Towel Sets (two bath towels, two hand towels, two wash cloths)
• 24 Women’s Robes
• 24 Bath Totes
• 24 sets of Full-Size Toiletries – Shampoo, Conditioner, Deodorant, Toothpaste, Comb, Brush, Lotion.
• 24 bottles of Laundry Detergent
• 24 boxes of Dryer Sheets
• 24 Welcome Mats
• Fleece Fabric for 24 Two-Sided Tie Blankets (each blanket requires two different 3-yard cuts of fleece)
• Materials for 24 Wreaths (Grapevine and/or Straw wreaths, Artificial Flowers, Ribbon, Glue Sticks)
• Lunch Bags
• Shopping Bags
• Ziploc Bags (quart and gallon)
• Trash bags
• Bottled Water
• Assorted Kids puzzles and small toys
• Fidget toys
• Children’s activity books like search-a-words, crosswords etc.
• Age-appropriate books or novel suitable for ages ranging from 3-17
• Fun children’s socks or slippers
• Flats of flowers and plants

DONATE NOW →

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Sponsors Welcome!

Would your business like to be an event sponsor or sponsor an individual project? Sponsors will be recognized multiple ways.  Contact Cschwab@sepa.org or 215-284-9211 for more info.

 

 

 

 

 

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