In the Community
Mentoring
Mentoring: walking with, listening to, and encouraging always. Mentoring is a way to make a big impact, one life or family at a time.
LSS School Based Mentoring:
Coordinated by Lutheran Social Services and the Sioux Falls Public Schools, this program gets you out of your life and into the life of a public student one hour per week. For more information, visit the LSS web site or volunteer through OSL here.
Amachi:
A part of Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Amachi program is a faith-based mentoring program designed specifically for children who have an incarcerated parent. Individuals or families can be mentors. Click on the link to check out Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sioux Empire. Visit here for more information on Amachi or volunteer through OSL here.
Genesis:
Walk with a family who is in danger of becoming homeless, helping them to establish goals and gain skills in making smarter decisions and connecting to community resources. Coordinated through the Community Outreach, this mentoring happens through teams. Join other members of OSL and help a family out of poverty. Click here for more info on Genesis or volunteer through OSL here.
Refugee Mentoring:
OSL is part of a coalition that works with the Lutheran Social Service Refugee and Immigration Center to resettle refugees in the Sioux Falls area. Mentorship happens officially for four months and involves assisting families in learning and navigating their new community. If you're interested, volunteer through OSL here.
Hawthorne Elementary
In partnership with Augustana Lutheran Church, OSL connecs with Hawthorne Elementary School and the surrounding neighborhood to find ways to support and encourage students, teachers, and families, fostering relationships that are mutually life-giving. There are many elementary schools in Sioux Falls in which OSL could be involved; Hawthorne is a place to start as we seek to find real ways to walk with folks who live close to the line of poverty. Click here to volunteer
Hunger
Food to You Mobile Food Pantry:
Sponsored by Charis Ministry Partners, a nonprofit organization of thirteen local congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, including OSL. Food to You provides groceries and household items to those in need, on a weekly basis, by distributing these items in neighborhood locations after daytime work hours. OSL volunteers and works at Food to You on a quarterly basis. Click here to volunteer
The Banquet:
A feeding ministry of Sioux Falls that serves hot meals every evening during the week, breakfast on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and lunch on Saturdays. Our Savior’s sponsors and provides volunteers for three of these meals every year. Visit The Banquet web site or click here to volunteer.
Good Shepherd Center:
The GSC is a daytime drop-in shelter for the homeless in downtown Sioux Falls. It is a place where people can receive lunch, make phone calls, take a shower, do laundry, and get connected to other services. Our Savior’s serves a lunch monthly. Visit the Good Shepherd Sioux Falls web site or click here to volunteer.
Food Pantry:
On the first Sunday of every month, OSL collects donations of money and non-persishable food items for the Sioux Falls Food Pantry.
Bowden Youth Center:
The BYC is run by Volunteers of America and serves youth in the heart of Sioux Falls. Our Savior’s sponsors a fall health fair and a Thanksgiving meal at the BYC annually, and is involved in other ways throughout the year. OSL has helped prepare and serve evening meals, collected items for hygiene kits for homeless teens, and provided Christmas presents to teens. It is a partnership OSL continues to grow and develop. Click here to volunteer.