The Newsleaders
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Sartell – St. Stephen
    • St. Joseph
    • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Column
    • Editorial
    • Letter to the Editor
  • Community
    • Calendar
    • Citizen Spotlight
    • Criers
    • People
  • Notices
    • Funerals/Visitations
    • Obituary
    • Police Blotter
    • Public Notices
    • Support Groups
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Submissions
  • Archives
    • Sartell-St. Stephen Archive
    • St. Joseph Archive
  • Advertise With Us
    • Print Advertising
    • Digital Advertising
    • 2021 Promotions
    • Pay My Invoice
The Newsleaders
No Result
View All Result

PineCone Pet Hospital MillerCarlin Serving all of central Minnesota locations!

Albany: 320-845-2035
Holdingford: 320-746-9994
St. Cloud: 320-252-7004
Upsala: 320-573-6234
Toll-free: 1-800-644-4058
Collegeville Stearns Bank
Home Featured News

CLC Free Store combines prayer with action

May 16, 2020
in Featured News, News, Print Sartell - St. Stephen, Sartell – St. Stephen
0
CLC Free Store combines prayer with action

contributed photo Jess Lundsetter and her son, 3-year-old Miles, take a break with donated food items in the lobby of Celebration Lutheran Church in Sartell.

0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

by Dennis Dalman

news@thenewsleaders.com

Responses from grateful people in this time of need range from heart-warming to heart-breaking, according to Jess Lundsetter, who founded a food help program in March along with four other members of Celebration Lutheran Church in Sartell.

Soon, they learned that so many people in the area are feeling afraid, anxious, separated, lonely and utterly uncertain as to what the future will bring as far as the spread of the virus disease and the devastated economy.

After the Sartell group helped people obtain food items and hygienic supplies, people email or wrote notes of thanks.

“So good to know somebody who cares,” said one.

“Thank you; we don’t feel so alone now,” said another.

The name of the food program is CLC (Celebration Lutheran Church) Free Food Store. Other members, so far anyway, are Lundsetter’s husband, Dustin Tomhave; Maria Crane, Taryn Gentile and Tyler Malotky.

All of them realize there are enormous needs by people in the area, but the group is determined to help out as best they can, even in smaller ways. Although the church building is closed, the group accepts donations of nonperishable food items that are inventoried, then stored in the church’s lobby, which Lundsetter dubs a makeshift pantry. Many of the items are placed in big covered plastic totes on a long card table on the corner of the church property at 15th Street and 10th Avenue just off Pinecone Road N. Anybody is welcome to take needed items and, hopefully if possible, add items to the totes.

In addition, members of the group have also made doorstop deliveries to homes when they receive requests.

Because the church is closed temporarily for its members, they and other congregants have been communicating via online interactive video with one another and with the church’s pastor, Jeff Sackett. It was during those virtual meetings and brainstorming that the idea for a food relief program came up. They put out a call for donations to start the CLC Free Community Store and were stunned by the generous responses.

“And the donations keep coming in,” said Lundsetter. “People are more than willing to share at a time like this. The response has been overwhelming.”

At one point, the received so many donations they decided to share them with other organizations that help people in need: Place of Hope, Terebinth Refuge, Anna Marie’s Alliance, the Pregnancy Resource Center.

“We brought trunk-loads of stuff to them,” said Lundsetter.

One request they received was from a 72-year-old woman in St. Cloud who had no idea how or where she could get some hand sanitizer. Lundsetter and her husband took hand sanitizer to the woman.

“I think of her now as my adopted grandmother,” said Lundsetter. “My own grandmother lives in Fergus Falls and because of social distancing, I cannot visit her. This woman in St. Cloud likes to do (jigsaw) puzzles so we brought her some of them. She had a bout with cancer, which puts her at high risk for the virus. This Sunday, I’m going to bake a ham, and we’ll bring her a ham dinner. She is such a day-brightener.”

Lundsetter has a degree in marriage and family therapy, although she is currently not working in order to be a stay-at-home mom to Ella, a high-school student; and 3-year-old Miles. Her husband, Dustin, is a design engineer for Ichor Systems in Sauk Rapids.

“We now worship online because the church is closed,” said Lundsetter. “So we can pray, but this program we started is a way to combine prayer with action in the power of God’s love.”

The help program is for anyone at all in Sartell and in the greater St. Cloud area.

“So many stores are out of so many things,” she said. “A lot of empty shelves. There are older people who are hurting because of health issues. There are moms at home with little ones who cannot go to stores to get what they need. There are so many people hurting and in need.”

Donations are always welcome at the CLC Free Community Store: nonperishable food items and personal hygiene products that include soap, hand sanitizer, toilet paper and baby diapers. The store is also seeking more volunteers.

Checks to buy more items are also welcome. They can be sent to CLC Free Community Store; in care of Pastor Jeff Sackett; 1500 Pinecone Road N.; Sartell, MN 56377.

For more information, call Jess Lundsetter at 320-760-4918.

contributed photo
Jess Lundsetter and her husband, Dustin Tomhave, are co-coordinators of the Celebration Lutheran Church Free Community Store, which they helped found in March as a way to help people in need.
contributed photo
Jess Lundsetter and her son, 3-year-old Miles, take a break with donated food items in the lobby of Celebration Lutheran Church in Sartell.
Previous Post

Community leaders make sure no one falls through the cracks during pandemic

Next Post

‘Gold’ discovered in Little Rock Lake

Next Post
‘Gold’ discovered in Little Rock Lake

‘Gold’ discovered in Little Rock Lake

Please login to join discussion

CMCU Twitter Follow us on
Twitter
for the latest news!
Facebook Follow us on Facebook
for the latest news!
Calendar 2 Click here for our
community events!

Go Fund Me # 1 Thank You
Newsleader
Supporters!
Elizabeth Brunsvold
Cultural Connections
Jim Berg & Mary Kruger
Mary & John Davis
Sandy Denne
Bobbi & David Gouker
James & marry Graeve
Juliana Howard
Julia Joplin
Linda Kmitch
M. Molus
Sheila Nahan
Go Fund Me # 2 Thank You
Newsleader
Supporters!

Peggy & Michael Roske
Judy Scheuerell
Geraldine Schwab
James Stotko
James Towler
Anna Trobec
Kaye Wenker
Ellen Wahlstrom
Leona Wieland
Jeanie Wilkens
GAGEN & VASUGI RAMANATHAN
Go Fund Me # 3 Thank You
Newsleader
Supporters!
Nicole Borg
Erica Karger-Gatzow
Dane & Lori Listug-Lunde
Nadine Martin
Doris Minnerath
Merry Mund
Marilyn Peitso
Stephen Schwanke
Dianne Tuff
Dale Zacher
Private Donors

Search

No Result
View All Result

Categories

Recent Posts

  • Sartell superintendent finalists visit this week
  • Winter fun at Snowfest
  • Foundation sponsors I Love to Read Giveaway
  • Free frozen meals available for senior citizens
  • Kluesner sworn into St. Joseph City Council

City Links

Sartell
St. Joseph
St. Stephen

School District Links

Sartell-St. Stephen school district
St. Cloud school district

Chamber Links

Sartell Chamber
St. Joseph Chamber

Community

Calendar

Citizen Spotlight

Criers

People

Notices

Funerals/Visitions

Obituary

Police Blotter

Public Notices

Support Groups

About Us

Contact Us

News Tips

Submissions

Advertise With Us

Print Advertising

Digital Advertising

2021 Promotions

Local Advertising Rates

National Advertising Rates

© 2021 Newleaders

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Sartell – St. Stephen
    • St. Joseph
    • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Column
    • Editorial
    • Letter to the Editor
  • Community
    • Calendar
    • Citizen Spotlight
    • Criers
    • People
  • Notices
    • Funerals/Visitations
    • Obituary
    • Police Blotter
    • Public Notices
    • Support Groups
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Submissions
  • Archives
    • Sartell-St. Stephen Archive
    • St. Joseph Archive
  • Advertise With Us
    • Print Advertising
    • Digital Advertising
    • 2021 Promotions
    • Pay My Invoice

© 2021 Newleaders

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In