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The Story
In the fall of 2023, the students of Lutheran Campus Ministry at Good Shepherd started doing something new: they dropped their books, put on aprons, and began preparing homecooked free meals for their student peers. The LCM Student Community Meal was born and continued weekly for the 2023-2024 academic year, with an average of 6 -12 students cooking weekly for 25 - 45 other students who showed up for the company and the food.
The Opportunity
Now, with the success of the meal, LCM is confronted with the need to make necessary updates to our kitchen space in order to comply with Michigan State health department codes and standards. There is good news! With the generosity of National Lutheran Campus Ministry, these updates will be possible through a matching grant. LCM at Good Shepherd is seeking to raise $20,000 towards that effort by July of 2024.
Student Testimonials
“It has been very nice not having to worry about making dinner once a week. As I go into the next semester, I will be running out of money for rent and other things, so I will probably be coming consistently to these meals.”
“It is an amazing way to connect with other tech students and enjoy a meal together!”
“These meals take a stress of my plate(literally) to have a place to eat and hang out without financial or social worries. Everyone is so friendly and it gives a good chance to volunteer.”
“It’s a sense of community and makes my day so much better. I love what they do for our community:)”
“The volunteers are so welcoming! As is everyone else who is eating! And then there’s the food, it is so delicious! I love the variety of meals and they are always so unique and something I wouldn’t cook for myself. I am so fortunate to have this opportunity to attend the Community Meal with my friends as well as meet new friends and members within the community as I go to college here. I would like to say thank you to Good Shepard Lutheran Church and all the volunteers who help to make this weekly meal a success and for welcoming me!”
The space for the hood to be installed waits.
Update: Nov 2024
Update: Nov 2024
Where we Started
Last spring, LCM Good Shepherd launched the Feed My Sheep initiative, aiming to raise $20,000 to secure a matching grant for essential kitchen and fellowship hall upgrades. Thanks to the immediate generosity of many, we reached and exceeded our goal by mid-summer, enabling us to move forward with significant steps. This summer we:
Applied for kitchen licensure with the Health Department
Ordered appliances and flooring
Secured renovation blueprints
Authorized our contractor to begin floor, wall, and countertop work
When we hit Pause
In early September, as preliminary work was underway in the fellowship hall, we finally received a bid for the range hood installation. This is where the pause happened. Due to the level of hood required for licensure and the custom work needed to install it into our kitchen, the cost of the hood installation would exceed our projected budget to the point that we paused construction to seek either a simpler hood solution or additional funding.
In October, we:
Met with officials to explore code alternatives
Sought alternate bids for installation
Reached out to funding partners at NLCM and the Northern Great Lakes Synod.
Despite our advocacy, the Level 1 hood, and its accompanying cost, will be required to meet licensing standards.
The pantry, repainted and with new flooring.
The fellowship hall with new flooring.
The Good News & Next Steps
Further grant monies are available and we are pursuing our options diligently. With the generosity of just a few more generous donors, we can green-light the hood installation and complete renovations in the early part of the new year.
In our first phase of this initiative, we had 60 unique donors, including congregational members, sister churches, members of the larger community, endowment grants, alumni, and a memorial bequest. Thank you to each of you who have contributed to the Feed My Sheep campaign to date. We’re nearing completion thanks to your generosity!
Now, we welcome your support in helping us reach our final gaol. With each prayer or donation, you are helping address food insecurity and loneliness among young adults, as well as forming servant leaders for the future church. With your help, through the Student Community Meal, we’re making a lasting impact for the MTU student community and sharing God’s abundant grace and generosity in the Copper Country.
How to Give
We invite all friends of Lutheran Campus Ministry and Good Shepherd into the 'Feed my Sheep' kitchen update endeavor. With your help, we will be able to continue to facilitate the community, service, and faith- building ministry that is the weekly Student Community Meal. Thank you for your generosity!
Checks can be made payable to: Lutheran Campus Ministry, 1100 College Ave, Houghton, MI 49931
Donate through the GoFundme link below!
Or donate online through the Northern Great Lakes Synod . Select "Use this donation for: Other" from the dropdown, then make sure to designate in the notes as your payment is processing "For LCM at MTU or Feed my Sheep"
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