LOCAL DROP-OFF SITES

Each year around the U.S. dedicated volunteers coordinate local drop-off sites for LWR material resource donations—often referred to as “ingatherings.” We call the volunteers who plan these events “Key Leaders” because of the important leadership role they play in LWR’s material resource program. Without them, all parish groups would be left on their own to get donations to one of our warehouses, sometimes incurring heavy shipping costs in the process. Ingatherings are a great example of LWR’s philosophy of partnership—together is always better!

Because the ingatherings are coordinated by volunteers, LWR staff are not always
aware of the specific details regarding dates, locations, etc.

Listed below is the information we have received from Key Leaders regarding upcoming ingatherings. If you’re looking for an ingathering in your area that is not listed here, please call 1-800-LWR-LWR-2 or email lwr@lwr.org and we’ll refer you to your area Key Leader.

Not all areas of the country have a Key Leader. If you are interested in coordinating a local ingathering, please let us know. We’ll put you in touch with some of our other Key Leaders who can share their ideas and experience.

If you are aware of local ingatherings that are not listed here, please contact Brenda Meier at bmeier@lwr.org to update this listing.

Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee: The Southeastern Synodical Women's Organization of Women of the ELCA coordinates an annual collection. Click here to download excerpts from their newsletters with dates and locations of 2008 collections.

NEW! Northern California: Advent Lutheran Church in Morgan Hill will be hosting a new ingathering for churches in and around Northern California! Click here for details.

Southern California: Lutheran Social Services of Southern California coordinates pick-up sites in several communities. Click here to download a PDF of their October 2008 schedule. Please note there is one change in location from the previously posted schedule.

Colorado: Urban Servant Corps at 1660 Ogden Street in Denver serves as a drop-off point for LWR parish projects. They have a large room to collect the items and once the room is full, the items are trucked to Minneapolis. Call (303) 894-0076 or click here for more information.

Florida: The Florida-Bahamas Synodical Women's Organization of Women of the ELCA organizes an annual collection each February. Click here for the 2009 schedule and other information.

Georgia: The Southeastern Synodical Women's Organization of Women of the ELCA coordinates an annual collection. Click here to download excerpts from their newsletters with dates and locations of 2008 collections.

Illinois: Friends of Lutheran World Relief, which coordinate the collection for Metropolitan Chicago and Northern Illinois has been serving for 30 years! Visit their website for their locations and dates.

Western Illinois: The Bundles of Love collection will continue in 2008! Click here for details.

Indiana: St. John Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne and Christ Lutheran Church in Valparaiso host a collection each fall. Click here for details.

Northern Iowa: First Lutheran Church in Albert Lea, MN, is sponsoring an LWR semi-truck to transport quilts and other material resources to LWR's warehouse. Visit First Lutheran's website for more information.

Kansas: Ken and Muriel Greene, LWR Key Leaders for more than 20 years, coordinate an annual gathering at several locations across Kansas. Click here for the October 2008 schedule.

Michigan and Ohio: The Michigan District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod coordinates boxcar loading sites in several locations. Click here to download the 2008 loading schedule.

Upper Michigan: Pastor William Truby and his network of volunteers organize fall collections in several communities. Click here to download a copy of their Fall 2008 schedule. Click here for a map to the 12th & Mt. Vernon location in Milwaukee.

Minnesota: First Lutheran Church in Albert Lea is sponsoring an LWR semi-truck to transport quilts and other material resources to LWR's warehouse. Visit First Lutheran's website for more information.

Missouri: The Bundles of Love collection will continue in 2008! Click here for details.

Nebraska: Beatrice Freight Line of Lincoln provides trailers in several Nebraska communities to collect donations each November. Click here to download a 2008 schedule.

North Carolina: The North Carolina Synodical Women's Organization of Women of the ELCA coordinates an annual collection. Click here for details.

North Dakota: Click here for a PDF of October 2008 pick-up dates and locations.

Ohio: See Michigan and Ohio listing above.

Oklahoma: Grace Lutheran Church at 2331 East Fifth Place in Tulsa will have a truck at the church on Monday, October 6, 2008, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call the church at 918-592-2999 for more information.

Pacific Northwest: Three sets of volunteers help coordinate ingatherings in the Pacific Northwest. Click here for information about 2008 locations, dates and times. Click here to download a copy of the ingathering newsletter.

Pennsylvania: Norma Good has been a longtime friend and servant to Lutheran World Relief's mission as the Volunteer Coordinator for Relief Projects with the Lower Susquehanna Synod of the ELCA. She has a well-organized ingathering each October. Click here for a complete 2008 schedule of locations and times.

NEW! Western Pennsylvania: Lutheran World Relief is partnering with Church World Service to host two collection sites in western Pennsylvania. Click here for information, including special instructions for labeling the boxes for LWR.

Tennessee: The Southeastern Synodical Women's Organization of Women of the ELCA coordinates an annual collection. Click here to download excerpts from their newsletters with dates and locations of 2008 collections.

Texas: Jan Spitzenberger from the Texas District LWML coordinates Texas ingatherings. Visit their website for current information.

Wisconsin and Upper Michigan: Pastor William Truby and his network of volunteers organize fall collections in several communities. Click here to download a copy of their Fall 2008 schedule. Click here for a map to the 12th & Mt. Vernon location in Milwaukee.

Southern Wisconsin: The Madison Area Lutheran Council (MALC) coordinates an annual ingathering in the fall. The 2008 date is Saturday, October 18, from 7 am to 2 pm. The drop-off site is located in Madison at the Southern Wisconsin Railroad yard off Johnson Street (near Fordem Avenue). The address is: 1890 E. Johnson Street. For additional information, please contact Julie Pophal at jmpophal@sbcglobal.net.