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Community Emergency Service
The Spotlight Newsletter
December 2015
Beyond Bread to the Bread of Life . . . Beyond Ourselves to Jesus Christ
The CES Staff Wishes You a Blessed Christmas
Inside This Issue
CES Staff ............................1
$40,000 Challenge .............1
Gifts of Stock .....................1
Director’s Discourse...........2
Thanksgiving Distribution ..3
Change .............................4
Walk to End Hunger ...........4
Give To The Max Update....4
Give A Gift .........................4
With your partnership, we continue to serve those in need—extending
community—a place where people come hungry and leave hopeful!
$40,000 Challenge Match
Please help us meet the $40,000
match by giving now
through the end of the year.
Please see page 4 for details
th
CES Staff: (L-R, Front row)
Eleanor Brown, Latrellis Holden,
Kelsey Hansen;
(2nd Row) Melanie LaPointe,
Ron Holden, Juanita Lindgren,
Mike Lloyd;
(3rd Row) Mike Krachmer,
Harold Lewis, Chris Nelson,
Edmund Robertson;
(4th Row) Shawnda Hobson,
Al Knox, Joe DelMedico,
Dovima Shockley;
(Top Row) Karen DeClouet,
Jacob Schuster, Saundra
Holden;
(not pictured) Sahra Ali,
Robert Nepple
Gifts of Stock
Gifts of stocks or bonds to CES
are a great way to donate.
Contact Chris Nelson: [email protected] or go
online to cesmn.org/donate/securities
1900 11 Ave. S. · Minneapolis, MN 55404 · Phone: 612.870.1125 · Fax: 612.870.1485 · www.cesmn.org
Director’s Discourse: The Greatest Gift
by Mike Lloyd, Executive Director at CES
Merry Christmas friends,
During this holiday season, I am always filled with a
sense of optimism, expectation, joy and promise. For
many, especially given recent world events, this is not
such a happy time. There are great tragedies both at
home and abroad.
Despite all of the tragedy in the world and the struggles
I witness each day with those we serve, I am called
back each year at this time to remember “the reason
for the season.” The Bible states in John 3:16, “God so
loved the world that he gave His only begotten son that
whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have
eternal life.” This promise is the hope of the world and
even more needed now.
All the suffering and struggles are temporary, but nonetheless real to the people who come through our door
each month. We are blessed to bring comfort and
hope. Everyone has his or her own story, but they are
all drawn here in search of help in their hour of need.
The people we serve are like all of us. They have hopes
and dreams, they love their children and grandchildren,
and they seek to have dignity in the way they live their
lives. At CES we are called into our Lord’s service with a
great sense of humility. We are humbled because of
Him who sacrificed so much for us. Thus, we help
because He has given us a heart of compassion and the
ability and resources to serve.
I had the pleasure of being part of the CES annual
Thanksgiving Food Distribution Saturday, November 21.
Over 200 neighbors came for food and fellowship and
54 volunteers came to serve from congregations and
organizations from around the Twin Cities. During the
distribution, I met Liz* and drove her home with her
groceries.
meal. With some coaxing on
my part, she shared that she
and her family did not use the
groceries she received from CES
for themselves. They prepare a
Thanksgiving meal to serve homeless people on the
street so they will have a warm meal made with love
on Thanksgiving Day. Her story reminded me that the
people we serve at CES are also very generous people!
Liz, who has so little, is willing to share what she has
with others who have even less. Thank you God for
allowing me to see more clearly in this season what
sacrificial giving really looks like!
During this Christmas Season, we celebrate the
greatest gift ever given in the birth of Jesus, God’s only
Son given for you and me. I hope you have a wonderful
season filled with the love of family and friends, but
more importantly that you know in a very real way that
God loves YOU enough to give His son for YOU!
If God puts it on your heart to help others at this time,
please think of those in Minneapolis with your generous support to CES.
May you have a very Blessed Christmas,
Mike Lloyd, Executive Director at CES
CES Mission
Rooted in God’s loving grace,
Community Emergency Service
transforms lives by serving neighbors,
sharing resources and
becoming community ~
a place where people come hungry
and leave hopeful.
On the way home she taught me a lesson about giving.
Liz told me she had been busy planning her holiday
*Client names have been changed to protect their anonymity
2
Visit our website: www.cesmn.org
CES Thanksgiving 2015
Community was shared as those receiving expressed
their gratitude and appreciation!
For the past several years, CES has celebrated
Thanksgiving with our neighbors.
In spite of the
cold, there was
no lack of smiles
and excitement
before the doors
opened.
Neighbors signed up for this Thanksgiving Celebration
two months in advance. The room was filled with
anticipation as
this year’s
resources were
shared the
morning of
Saturday,
Nov 21, 2015.
Neighbors received a basket which included
25 pounds of staples for their Thanksgiving meal,
a household Item and a $10 gift card to Walmart
for their choice in meat.
54 volunteers made up of
families, church members,
business partners and college students came to help
set up, hand out food, carry
bags, drive neighbors home
and share a warm smile and
an encouraging word.
The response was memorable:
“Thank you so much! Now I know I will have food for Thanksgiving for my family.”
“The pillow I received is a blessing. I have been having neck
problems because I have had no pillow.”
“Several of us come from the same apartment. We will put our
groceries together and share with others who are alone.”
“Getting this handmade quilt reminds me of my grandmother
whom I miss this time of the year,” shared one person as tears
filled her eyes.
Over 200 people were
blessed by CES at this
year’s Thanksgiving
Distribution!
A Christmas Distribution
will also be held
December 19
because of gifts
from our wonderful
CES partners.
3
Visit our website: www.cesmn.org
Change Can Happen Suddenly by an Anonymous Client
A caring community is needed
with life changes & hard times
Emily* had a great job, a car
and a nice house. All was
going well with plans to
retire in one year. However,
that was not to be! Shortly
after her decision to retire,
she had a mini stroke. She
recovered and went back to
work for a while.
with her funds. Social Security was enough to pay most
of her bills, but not enough for food.
Emily came to the CES food shelf, and CES was able to
fill the gap and meet that food need! As her recovery
progressed, Emily was grateful and wanted to give back
to CES for their assistance in her time of need. All she
could do was volunteer. Emily not only helped CES, but
it aided in her recovery.
Recently, Emily shared that she did not have money to
During a follow up visit, doctors found a brain aneurism
buy food for Thanksgiving. Again, CES had the answer:
and watched it closely. After several months, they found
the Thanksgiving distribution! (see page 3)
the aneurism had grown and she would need surgery.
“I don’t know what I would have done without CES durUnable to work, Emily had to retire early. What a
ing this time. Not only did CES provide food, but they
disappointment! She needed that extra year of work.
offered spiritual support, warmth and a caring commuAlthough it was not what she had planned, she knew
nity that I have not found elsewhere,” Emily declared.
she had to prepare for surgery and then recovery.
Because of your partnership, others like Emily had a
The surgery went well. However, Emily used up her
great Thanksgiving, will have a blessed Christmas
savings that she had wisely put aside while working. Not
and will go from hunger to hope!
well enough to find another job, she tried to be frugal
*Client names have been changed to protect their anonymity
GTTM Update
Thank you for being part of
Give To the Max Day!
We had an increase
of over $5,000 and
20 more donors.
Walk to End Hunger Update
Way to go CES Board
Member Steve Anderson,
who raised over $900 for
Meals on Wheels.
Thanks goes to all who donated and
walked this Thanksgiving!
4
Give a Gift to CES &
Help Meet the $40,000 Match
$1,000 Gives 20 East African households two weeks worth of
staples to prepare their cultural dishes
$500
Pays for 100 families to receive fresh produce weekly
for a month
$100
Provides 16 seniors with hot delivered meals through
Meals on Wheels
$50
Helps one disabled or
elderly neighbor receive
groceries delivered to
their door
$24
Pays for a client’s bus
fare to & from work prior
to their 1st paycheck
Please give online at
cesmn.org/donate or
make checks payable to CES.
Visit our website: www.cesmn.org