The word stewardship is used often in both non-profits and churches. Both are places where a community pools resources to make a larger impact around them. No matter the shape these resources take–cash, food, clothing– they are valued and meaningful to those who offer them.
As part of the Feeding America Network, we receive substantial donations from grocery stores in our area. Our active partner churches and civic groups regularly hold food drives for us. We are contractually and ethically responsible for the fair and safe distribution of these donations.
Because of our thrift store, we see a large variety of the tangible resources people contribute. If you’re familiar with Antiques Roadshow, we must develop that same kind of expert-level respect and appreciation for every donation to get a richer understanding of what good stewardship should look like in our community.
We also see the more traditional resources like volunteer hours. In addition to their valuable time, each volunteer contributes unique personal expertise in the way they complete tasks and deal with each other and our clients.
It is our responsibility and privilege to distribute these valuable resources to those most in need in our community. We must make the right choices and determine the most equitable allocation for anyone that requires our aid. To do this, we must maintain an appreciation and respect for the various forms these donations can take. The people and organizations who are sharing their money, time, effort, energy, or other resources depend upon us to take our role as stewards very seriously.
We do take it seriously from our policies for complete contract compliance, our safety guidelines, client vetting processes and the guidelines we use for allocations. We work with a small staff and a large volunteer force. We all understand and respect the trust the community has placed in us. Good stewardship is a primary goal of the LCM.
-Dan
