Dawn Shykes, senior director of LSS Youth & Family Services for in Duluth, discussed the impact children’s health and well-being has on our communities in a recent column.

LSS Youth & Family Services has plans for a new facility in Duluth that will serve children more effectively and expand family services, including parent education and coaching, behavioral health, reunification support and other vital community services.

The Bethany Crisis Shelter in Morgan Park will soon have a new home to better serve children and their parents during times of need. The project will replace the current Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota facility for short-term, emergency housing for youth undergoing times of crisis and trauma.

LSS provided 10 frozen meals to older adults in Kandiyohi County at no cost to recipients during a drive-through style event in Willmar.

Residents eligible for the Nutrition Assistance Program for Seniors received fresh and frozen food at the event, which was possible thanks to a partnership between LSS, Kandiyohi County Food Shelf and the Minnesota Vikings Foundation.

Read more at the West Central Tribune. 

There continues to be a need for more foster parents in Minnesota. Jodi Raidt, statewide program director with LSS Therapeutic Foster Care services says there are about 9,300 children and young adults in foster care on any given day in the state. There are even more kids waiting to be placed in a home.

“Our greatest need at the moment is really going to be teens, school-age children, and sibling groups,” Jodi said. “Families that are open to meeting those care needs, we would love if you would join in with us”

Human trafficking is a growing concern throughout the country, and even small communities in Minnesota are not immune.

Kate LePage with Saving Grace, and LSS service that supports survivors of sex trafficking, was among presenters at an at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Backus focusing on trafficking and exploitation. 

Read more at the Brainerd Dispatch. 

Heather Kamia’s nine-year-old daughter was recently begging to meet up in person with particular friend. The mom had to remind her why this wasn’t possible for several reasons, including the fact that her little sister is immunocompromised. Her daughter’s response: “You don’t know what it’s like to be a kid in a pandemic.”

Like Kamia—program director of Metro Youth and Family Services at the Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota—just about every parent in the country has been confronted with these kinds of guilt-inducing situations for over a year.

Martha Gutierrez, an LSS foster care coordinator in Alexandria, was introduced to the Alexandria community in a recent article about foster care in the area. Martha moved to Alexandria from California, where she served as a social worker with San Bernardino County for more than 30 years.

After working in a government agency setting, Martha now recruits foster families, provides specialized training and gives in-home support with LSS Therapeutic Foster Care services.

“It has been such sheer joy to be on the other side,” Martha said.

The Central Minnesota Council on Aging has awarded LSS more than $60,000 to offer continued support to caregivers.

According to a press release, the CMCOA gave LSS $63,231 to support caregivers in their roles and also for them to “receive a break from their caregiving responsibilities, access resources to grow their caregiving skills, and connect with others through support groups with its Caregiver Support Services.”