Prayz Network

National Collection Week takes place the third week in November

Operation Christmas Child delivers great joy and the Good News of Jesus Christ to children in need around the world through gift‍-‍filled shoeboxes.

Each box packed full of quality toys, school supplies, and personal care items becomes a tangible expression of God’s immense love for the child. For many, it is their first gift ever! Delivered by our local church partners, shoebox gifts provide an opportunity to present the Gospel to boys and girls in a clear, child-friendly way.

LEARN HOW TO PACK A SHOEBOX HERE!

BUILD A SHOEBOX ONLINE!

FIND DONATION DROP OFF LOCATIONS HERE

In partnership with Eagle River Elementary, Land O’Lakes Elementary and Phelps Elementary Schools, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church is providing meals through the “Weekend Backpack” program. Backpacks are sent home on Friday with “child-friendly, easy-to-prepare” food items providing the necessary calories to help eliminate their hunger.  Many of the parents are struggling to keep their children fed so our goal is to provide food support on weekends.

The Backpack Program started in the March 2015 with one hungry 3rd grader and the heart of a school volunteer. Since then, the Backpack program has grown to over 135 elementary school students, 4K-6th grade.

Student participants’ names are kept confidential by the school and school district staff. Students and parents self-identify and/or identified by school staff.

If you would like your child to participate in the program, please contact your school’s teacher, principal or pupil services.

How Can You Help?

You can help by dropping off needed items at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church during office hours, make a monetary donation, or volunteer your time.

Needed Items include:

• Oatmeal (individual packets)
• Cereal (individual cups or boxes)
• Pop Tarts
• Applesauce (individual cups)
• Fruit Cups (individual size, no Jell-O)
• 100% Juice Boxes (individual size)
• Pudding (individual cups – vanilla or chocolate preferred)
• Macaroni ‘N’ Cheese (individual cups or Easy Mac – no boxes)
• Ramen Noodles Cups (Beef or Chicken)
• Soup Cups (microwavable)
• Microwavable meal cups (Chef Boyardee, Hormel Chili, Dinty Moore Beef Stew, etc.)
• Microwavable Popcorn
• Granola Bars
• Breakfast Bars
• Individual pre-packaged mini-muffins
• Tuna or chicken (packets only, no cans)

Snack items (must be individual size):

• Goldfish
• Popcorn
• Pretzels
• Cheez-Its
• Trail Mix
• Fruit Snacks
• Cheese or peanut butter crackers (individual)
• other similar items
• No chips please

When donating food, please select items that are appropriate for a young child’s taste preferences. Expired food or food past the sell by date cannot be used. Thank you.

Items can be dropped off at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church

The Backpack Program is proud to partner with the Northland Pines and Phelps School District in providing support and encouragement to youth and families.

Prison Fellowship Ministry is seeking volunteers in southwest Wisconsin.

The Jackson Correctional Institute in Black River Falls is a men’s medium security facility that is part of the Prison Fellowship Ministry, and is currently hosting a Bible Study each Monday Night. They generally have 30 to 40 inmates that attend the Bible study with 2 volunteers. They are currently seeking new volunteers that can serve after completing the training and the security orientation required. The commitment for this usually is 1 to 2 times a month for 1 hour each. The first 15 minutes of the hour is spent praising the Lord in song with the remainder spent reading the chapter for that day and discussing the content with questions and input from inmates and volunteers. A great need would be for someone with piano or guitar experience to add their talents to this time, up to now acapella has worked well too. 

Another opportunity for involvement is the Prison Fellowship Academy program, this is a more intensive level of commitment of 1.5 to 2 hours a week working with a team to help inmates break the cycle of crime and one day re-enter society to be productive members of the community. 

If you are interested in serving with Prison Fellowship Ministry, visit their website, or contact Mark Wingard at 715-284-2618 to learn more. Thank you !!!

With food insecurity being a large issue right now, consider making a donation to a local food pantry in your area. Food pantries serve individuals and families who may not have access to food/hygiene products.

Contact individual locations to find out details such as drop off times, specific needs they may have, or other tangible ways to give.

Your gently used household items can support a neighbor in need with the essentials necessary to turn a place into a home.

Volunteers Needed for Spanish Speaking Inmates

We are in need of a volunteer(s) for our Spanish Speaking inmates at Stanley Correctional Institution. We have a growing group of men, some with limited English proficiency. We are looking for people who have a heart to share the gospel message through Bible Study, Pastoral Visits, or Services for this population. Schedules are flexible to the volunteers availability.

For more information please email: amber.purdun@wisconsin.gov or Cheryl.Webster@wisconsin.gov

You can MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Shop this Amazon wish list for Adult and Teen Challenge. Click Here

• Coffee (pre-ground or whole bean)
• Individually wrapped snacks/treats
• Art and Craft supplies
• Tampons/pads
• Journals
• Notebooks/ loose leaf paper
• Pens/ Pencils/ Highlighters
• Batteries
• NLT Recovery Bibles
• Coffee shop/ fast food gift cards (to bless our clients)
• Toilet paper
• Stamps
• Copy paper
• 55 gallon garbage bags
• Gallon freezer ziplock bags
• Picnic Tables
• Patio Furniture
• Small Ice machine
• 2 Laptops
• iPad

These items go directly to the residents to use and are shipped directly to the center when using the link above. Thank you for helping change lives!