Serve In the Community

FPLC members will be providing meals and serving lunches at MBHS’s Fantastic Fridays lunch program throughout the year. (Held at Hephatha Lutheran Church.

There are two ways to help

Supply Part of the Meal:

On the sign-up page, choose which part of the meal you’d like to supply. The main dish recipies and sides will be on the signup at least a month before the lunch date. We all use the same recipe so the main dishes can be combined. The recipe will be on the Signup Genius right after the instructions under "Related Files". If you would like to be reimbursed, just let Stacia Hickey know. Meal items are due to FPLC the day before the lunch is being served by noon. Sign up through the link below.

Serve the Meal with FPLC Members:

Join us for one of more of the Fridays below from 11 am – 1:30 pm to serve lunch to the guests at Hephatha Lutheran Church. (Corner of Locust and 18th). Just sign up on the SignUp Genius link below. Hepatha is located at 1720 W Locust St, Milwaukee. Street parking and the entrance are on 18th St. If you have any questions, contact Stacia Hickey through the link below.

Serenity Inn's goal is to provide a safe place for men in Milwaukee to recover from their addiction to either drugs or alcohol. The Inn is transitional living space which offers a supportive bridge between residential treatment and independent living. The unique program has residents coming together each evening to share a meal provided by volunteers who join them for the meal. The experience builds a sense of community and is dedicated to reflection, support and celebrating daily success.

About the Meal

You make dinner and take it warm to the Inn by 5:45 pm (for a 6 pm start time). The men meet you at your car to carry items inside. As the number of residents varies, you’ll receive an email a week before your date with the number of residents. You’ll be cooking for yourselves, the men and the innkeeper. You’re usually on your way home by 7 pm. Two families, friends, small group members, etc. are welcome to volunteer together. This is an impactful SOP for our Confirmation families to be a part of because they will hear the anti-drug/alcohol message while supporting the men in their journey to a better life.

Sign up through the link below. If you would like more information about volunteering, contact Lorraine Buehler, FPLC member and long-time Serenity Inn volunteer.

If you can't make the FPLC dates, or they are full, you can sign up for other dates directly through Serenity Inns' volunteer page. Just click the button below to go to that page.

FPLC has joined the Interfaith Green Team, a diverse group of faith-based organizations. Formed about a year ago, their mission states:

“United by our shared religious values, we celebrate and actively care for all creation. We assist the Earth in its healing through conservation, education, and advocacy to achieve environmental equity for all.”

While there is more to come, the group’s first project is an electronics recycling drive.

Electronics Recycling Initiative
Do you have old appliances, devices and other electronics with cords or batteries laying around the house? To dispose of this e-waste responsibly, please participate in the Interfaith Green Team’s recycling drive. Our Northshore congregations are partnering with Elite Energy Distribution, a Milwaukee-based recycling company, to get Spring Cleaning off to a great start.
No air conditioners, humidifiers or refrigerators can be accepted.

Knitting or Crocheting

Soap Sacks are hand-knit or crocheted drawstring bags that hold a standard size bar of soap. The sacks can be used simply to hold the soap or people can leave the soap in the bag and use it as a soap-filled wash cloth. Some of the guests are homeless or move frequently. They may not have access to soap or washcloths on a regular basis.

Donate:

We will collect the sacks at FPLC and fill each with a bar of soap. Then they will be donated to our partners in Milwaukee to give to their pantry guests. If you wish to include soap with the Soap Sacks you donate, please keep the soap in it's wrapper before putting it inside the sack. That way it stays clean until it reaches it's recipient. Donations can be left in our food donation carts.

Directions:

See the links below for instructions. If you have a pattern you'd prefer to use, that is fine! We just ask that they be similar in size, have a drawstring or tie to close the sack and that you use cotton yarn.

If you have any questions, please contact Stacia Hickey through the link below.

Lunches for MacCanon Brown Homeless Shelter

Each person comes to MBHS with a different story, yet each one receives food, compassion, love and a helping hand. When they arrive at the food pantry on Tuesdays, they also receive a bag lunch for that day.

How to help:

There are 3 ways you can choose from:

After the 9 am service on the 4th Sunday of each month, we’re asking for anyone who is able to help us make 150 bag lunches for MBHS—no need to sign up, just join us! This is a great service opportunity for Confirmation students too. It’s a short project to help our neighbors before you continue with the rest of your day!
We also need grocery shoppers! The week before each sandwich making Sunday (choose the date that works for you), we need a volunteer who will purchase the groceries and deliver them to FPLC. You will be reimbursed for your expenses and we give you a detailed shopping list!
The Tuesday after each sandwich making Sunday, we need someone to pick the finished lunches up at FPLC and drive them to MBHS for delivery between 10:15 and 10:45 am. You choose the week that works for you and we'll provide the directions. MBHS is located at 2461 W. Center St. No need to leave your car--volunteers will unload the lunches for you!
Click the sign up link to see all dates through April of 2024. Contact Stacia Hickey through the link below with questions.

Donations

MacCanon Brown Homeless Sanctuary was nominated and then accepted into the catalog of non-profit organizations to receive Thrivent Choice dollars from people who are members of Thrivent Financial Services! It’s easy to donate; simply log into your Thrivent account, find Thrivent Choice dollars. It will tell you how much you have available to donate and then allows you to type in the name of the organization that you’d like to support and they will send the funds directly to that organization within the next month. MBHS is new to this list, but there are other organizations to choose from as well.

Action Plans

Another opportunity to give through Thrivent is Thrivent Action Plans. The Action Plan allows you to apply for two projects each year, for up to $250 in seed money to kick start a fundraiser, educational program, or service project.

If you have never given in these capacities, you can contact your Thrivent Representative for help or you can contact FPLC member Gail Sommerfeld. She has volunteered to walk you through the steps to get started. Email Gail through the link below.