Learn about New Journey’s Social Ministry.
Food for Kidz – March 21, 2019
New Journey Lutheran, Church of the Ascension (Catholic), and Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran co-sponsor Food for Kidz, bringing together hundreds of volunteers from across the community. The March 21 food event packed 91,200 fortified meals. This was the ninth year that volunteers in Fountain Hills have participated in the project with a total of over half a million meals packed in the past nine years.
Meals are distributed by various groups that feed the hungry, including the Extended Hands Food Bank in Fountain Hills; the Navajo Lutheran Mission in Rock Point, Ariz.; Grace in the City outreach in Phoenix; Native American Urban Connection and Native American Connection, Phoenix; and AZ Brainfood.
Native American Urban Ministry (NAUM)
New Journey Lutheran supports NAUM by worshiping together, engaging in youth activities, and providing clothing and furniture for individuals transitioning from homelessness into housing. In addition, meals packed during the annual Food for Kidz event are distributed by NAUM.
Navajo Evangelical Lutheran Mission (NELM)
New Journey supports NELM at Rock Point, Arizona, by donating funds for school supplies and for families. New Journey is a sponsor of the NELM basketball team, donating money for the purchase of uniforms and shoes for the team. NELM receives meals assembled by the Food For Kidz food pack.
Make A Difference Day
New Journey Lutheran participates in the Fountain Hills Make a Difference Day, serving neighbors in need. Volunteers from the faith community and other organizations assist residents by weeding and raking yards, cleaning and organizing garages, and building wheelchair ramps for home-bound residents.
Heat Respite – Grace Lutheran Church, Phoenix
During the hot summer months, New Journey members and friends make, deliver, and serve sack lunches for homeless individuals who come for heat respite at Grace Lutheran Church in central Phoenix.
Native American Connections (NAC)
New Journey provides quilts and toiletries to Native American Connections. NAC’s mission is improving the lives of individuals and families through Native American culturally appropriate behavioral health, affordable housing, and community development services. NAC owns and operates 18 sites throughout Central Phoenix offering a continuum of affordable housing and behavioral health services which touch the lives of over 6,000 individuals and families each year. NAC receives meals assembled in the annual Food for Kidz food pack.
ELCA Good Gifts
As members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), we believe that God is calling us into the world – together. And with generous, loving hands, we can make a difference. ELCA Good Gifts is our opportunity to provide critical support to the ministries and programs that mean the most to us and the people we love. Throughout the year, New Journey donates to ELCA Good Gifts. This Christmas, we are collecting donations for a Community Vegetable Garden, Gardening Tools, goats, pigs, and honey bees.
Angel Tree
Members and friends of New Journey purchased Christmas gifts for two very needy families from Imagine School in East Mesa. Imagine School is a charter school that is a publicly funded non-profit.
Extended Hands Food Bank
New Journey is deepening its relationship with the Fountain Hills’ Extended Hands Food Bank (EHFB) by having a bin for the food bank in the back of the church. Each month the food bank lets us know what they are in need of so that we can target our food collection to fit their needs. We have organized a volunteer team to help stock the shelves at the food bank and distribute food to clients. Packets of oatmeal packed at the annual Food for Kidz food pack were distributed to the food bank.
Saturday Service Project
On the fourth Saturday of January through March, those gathering for worship pray together and complete a service activity. Food was packed for the Imagine East Mesa School, a Title 1 school. Over 400 bags of food were packed each month, providing a supply of nutritious food for children when school breakfast and lunch is unavailable on a weekend or school holiday. Many of these children receive school lunches but do not have access to food during the weekends. Food bags were packed with oatmeal, ramen noodles, granola bars, fruit snacks, peanut butter and crackers. Fresh fruit and soup will be included prior to distribution to children on Friday afternoons. Enough bags were packed to provide 106 students weekend food for each month.