Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida, Inc.

We had the perfect weather yesterday for the October Community Resouce Fair. ???? We are so appreciative to all of those who joined us yesterday. We hope that you made meaningful connections with each other and our community! Our vendors are tagged in this post: St. Vincent's HealthCare, CAN Community Health , Wolfson Children's Hospital , Guided Solutions , Volunteers In Medicine Jacksonville , Epilepsy Alliance Florida, Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida (HPCNEF) , City of Jacksonville and more! The next Community Resource Fair will be November 19th from 10 AM to 12 PM at the LSS Food Pantry. Visit our website to learn more information about next month's event: https://buff.ly/475glcU

Thank you to Bank of America for supporting our financial opportunity center, Steps 2 Success! Their generous contribution enables us to continue offering our community free financial and career coaching. This support makes a meaningful impact and inspires those in the program on the path to homeownership! ????? The Steps 2 Success Program provides career and financial coaching at no cost! Program participants have seen their average credit score increase by 75 points and their monthly income increase by an average of $1,200. Visit our website to learn more about the Steps 2 Success program: https://buff.ly/4c8rufq

A big shout-out to this incredible group of volunteers from Community First Credit Union! They stopped by the LSS Food Pantry yesterday afternoon to help package food for today's distributions; their efforts are already making a difference in the lives of the families we serve! We could not be more thankful for our partnership. Want to help us to support our community? Become an LSS volunteer! Visit https://buff.ly/45mSqWt to learn about the different ways you can make an impact by volunteering!

The Circle of Welcome is answering questions about the program during an online information session tomorrow, Wednesday, October 16th, at 7 PM! Join to learn about how you can become apart of the resettlement journey!???? Visit buff.ly/3SeAXdG to reserve your online seat today!

The Community Resource Fair is right around the corner! Join us October 15th from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM outside the LSS Food Pantry to learn about the amazing resources available in the community. Stop by to connect with some of these amazing organizations that offer services at little to no cost! St. Vincent's HealthCare , CAN Community Health , JaxCareConnect , Vision Is Priceless and more! Here's a sneak peek at the services provided during the event: ?Free food – LSS Food Pantry (10 a.m. to 2 p.m. appointments required! ) ?Screening and future appointments for free primary care for low-income and uninsured individuals through Ascension St. Vincent's – please have them call 904-308-7911 to make an appointment in advance; walk-ins for health screenings are okay (9 a.m. to 2 p.m.) ?Complimentary vision screenings through Vision is Priceless ?HIV testing and care connections through CAN Community Health For more information, visit: https://buff.ly/475glcU

Due to Hurricane Milton, LSS will close early on Wednesday at 1 p.m. and will be closed on Thursday. We plan to reopen on Friday, 10/11, at 8 a.m.! Please stay safe out there!

A huge THANK YOU to the incredible staff from Vystar Credit Union for volunteering with LSS! ?? Despite Hurricane Helene being just a day away from Florida- —some traveling from as far as North Carolina—rolled up their sleeves to make a difference! Vystar's Legal team came a week after to continue the great work! ??? Both teams of volunteers rolled up their sleeves to make a difference in our Food Pantry and help set up apartments for newly arrived refugee families. We are always amazed by their hard work and dedication to serving the community; we would not have been able to have this great of an impact without them ?? Inspired by their dedication? You, too, can make an impact! ?? Join us in supporting our neighbors—volunteer with LSS today! Visit: https://buff.ly/45mSqWt to learn more! #VolunteerAppreciation #CommunitySupport #MakeADifference

Starting today, the LSS Food Pantry has undergone some significant changes! The Pantry's operating hours which were Monday through Friday from 10 A.M. to 12 P.M., have been extended to 10 A.M. to 2 P.M.! Additionally, the Pantry has adopted an appointment system for food distribution. Pantry visitors will be required to make an appointment to receive food once a month. These can be scheduled at: https://buff.ly/4gtgFaC By extending our hours and adapting the appointment system, we will be able to serve more people in our community. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us! ????

During The River City Pride Parade yesterday, LSS marched with pride, unity, and love along with St. John's Lutheran Church! ?????? It was an honor to be a part of this incredible celebration of diversity, acceptance, and community again this year! Even though the festivities are over, we will continue to spread love and support one another. ????

Thank you to the incredible group of volunteers from First Citizens Bank! They sorted and organized food and canned goods in the pantry, they also packed food to be distributed that day. Their hard work helped us to feed 98 families. We would not be able to have such a significant impact on the community without the help of our volunteers. ??