320 First Street South, Ladysmith, Wisconsin
Hope in the Community- Social Ministry
Food Pantry
The Hope Lutheran Food Pantry serves those in need throughout Rusk County. The Pantry hours are: Mondays 1:00-3:00pm and Fridays 9:30-11:30am. Volunteers are needed on the first and third Mondays of each month to help unload the Feed My People delivery and to stock shelves. Donations of non-perishable food items can be brought to the church during office hours or on Sunday mornings. Monetary donations can be sent to the church office or placed in the offering plate (clearly marked "Food Pantry").
Donation Challenges
The Hope Lutheran Food Pantry partners with Feed My People Food Bank and promotes the Food for More Challenge and also promotes Buckets for Hunger.
MANNA Meal
The MANNA Meal takes place here at Hope Lutheran Church (usually) on the last Thursday of each month with serving from 5:00-6:00 p.m. This is a free meal providing both food and fellowship to those in need. Each year the November MANNA Meal is a Free Community Thanksgiving Dinner with serving beginning at noon on Thanksgiving Day. St. John's Lutheran Church hosts a Christmas Dinner that takes the place of the December MANNA Meal. The MANNA Meals will resume in August 2021 with the first meal being served on August 26. This meal will be sponsored by the Knights of Columbus.
Meals on Wheels
Hope Lutheran is responsible for delivering Meals on Wheels on a rotating schedule provided by Rusk County ADRC. If you can help out on any of the scheduled days, please contact Cora Schultz (715-415-0275).
Backpack Food Program
Children who are hungry do not learn well. Without good nutrition over a weekend, children return to school hungry and struggle to learn. The Backpack Food Program hopes to help children in our community. The purpose of this program is to provide two meals a day plus snacks for the weekend for children who might otherwise go hungry. Thanks to Feed My People Food Bank we are able to purchase food at a significant discount. Each meal costs approximately 50 cents with the cost for each student for the school year being $75-100.
The meals are packed as a service project by students at Ladysmith High School and are then delivered to LES and LMS to be placed in students' backpacks prior to the weekend. Whenever possible the food will be kid-friendly, easy to carry home, and easy to prepare.
Parents are asked to enroll their children with a simple application form, which can be obtained from the LES and LMS offices.
Like the Food Pantry, this program is only possible because of donations from individuals, churches, community organizations, and corporate donations. All donations are tax deductible. Checks can be made payable to "Hope & Friends Backpack Food Program".