January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month – a national observance dedicated to raising awareness about human trafficking and how the community can play a significant role in prevention.  

Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota (LSS) is proud to recognize five honorees statewide who received the 2025 President’s Leadership Excellence Award. The award recognizes exceptional employees who demonstrate outstanding leadership, inspire colleagues, drive innovation, and build community.

Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota received a $15,000 grant from the Schmeeckle Foundation to support nutritious, healthy meals for older adults through LSS Meals services in Martin County. Services in Martin County include meals provided at a community dining site in Fairmont and home-delivered meals across the county delivered by friendly volunteers who offer a personal safety check for older adults that may not be able to leave their home.

LSS Financial Counseling, a service of Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, has seen a 17.51% increase over the past year in people using debt management plans (DMPs) to help them resolve credit card debt. Debt management plans, which can often be used to reduce credit card interest rates and lower payments, are becoming a more popular tool for households that have fewer dollars to apply toward their debt.

Lutheran Social Service (LSS) of Minnesota is one of five organizations across the country to receive national recognition in the Innovative and Exemplary category for its Caregiver Support & Respite services from the ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center in Washington D.C. A story about this national honor appears in The Pilot Independent.

Tasha Moulton, senior manager with the LSS Youth Resource Center in Mankato, appeared on KEYC TV's Kato Living to talk about youth homelessness and how the community can help. Each year, an estimated 4.2 million youth, young adults and teens experience homelessness in the U.S. That includes approximately one in 10 adults ages 18 to 25, and one in 30 youth ages 13 to 17. These statistics become even more worrisome for youth who don’t have a safe place to stay at night during colder months in Minnesota.

Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota received a $5,000 grant from the Mankato Clinic Foundation to support nutritious, healthy meals for older adults through LSS Meals services in Mankato. 

“We are truly thankful to the Mankato Clinic Foundation for their generous support,” said Amy Vajgrt, senior director of LSS Meals. “Their commitment makes a real difference in helping older adults across our communities stay connected, nourished, and able to live independently in their own homes.” 

As the holiday traveling season gets underway, Shannon Doyle with LSS Financial Counseling appeared on KSTP TV to encourage budget planning. “Sketching out a rough idea of what that might cost can help you contain those costs because if you have a target that you want to spend, it tends to set an anchor in your brain,” she said.

KARE TV reported that the Minnesota Department of Revenue estimates property taxes will increase by an average of 6.9% in 2026. That's a worry on the minds of homeowners who receive housing counseling through Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota.

The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that personal bankruptcies are on the rise in Minnesota and that LSS Financial Counseling is working with households with “significantly higher” debt loads compared to the past few years, in part because interest rates have crept up, said Joanne Lundberg, LSS Financial Counseling supervisor.