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Stories from around the synod O.A.S.I.S. (Outreach Assistance Serving Individuals in St. Charles) – A Mission Offering Food Assistance Growing to Care for Those in Need Over sixteen years ago a small group of people asked themselves: How can we help those of our neighbors who are in need? In response, caring individuals from three Missouri ELCA Lutheran Churches decided to come together and provide one of the most basic needs for survival, food assistance. Living Lord Lutheran Church in Lake St. Louis, Hope Lutheran Church in St. Charles and Christ the King Lutheran Church in St. Peters gathered the necessary volunteers and Christ the King Lutheran Church provided the facility to give birth to Outreach Assistance Serving Individuals in St. Charles, otherwise known as O.A.S.I.S. Food Pantry – A mission offering food assistance. Today, this small group of caring individuals and churches, with Joy Community Church, St. Peters being the latest ELCA church to join the ranks, has grown to over 200 volunteers and over 30 churches from seven denominations as well as two non-denominational churches that support this mission on a monthly basis. In addition, over 45 businesses and fraternal organizations as well as over 30 schools are involved in caring for those in need. The number of families served has grown from a few dozen to as many as 330 families per month and the quantity of food has grown from dividing up whatever was donated to a providing a fixed menu of food and hygiene items on a regular basis that helps meet the needs of the family for a one week period. The families O.A.S.I.S. Food Pantry helps are mostly working families though some are disabled or retired. Their limited income and benefits can not meet all of today’s basic needs. Some have been laid off and later reemployed at a lesser pay with little or no benefits. Some are just unemployed. Grants are provided by the state, city, businesses, private entities and others. O.A.S.I.S. Food Pantry is supported by a cross section of the community. The need is great but somehow God provides. We thank these congregations and others for their efforts to raise awareness as well as mission support for hunger relief in our communities and beyond through the Central States Synod. Bob Schreiber “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the last of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40 |