Lazarus House gives Christmas thanks

We at Lazarus House are so grateful for all the community does to support us, but never more so than at Christmas, especially this year.

As we all know, the economic situation is not good. We are getting more calls than ever from folks who need help paying their rent, mortgage or utilities.

Thankfully, we are able to help many, but sadly some do not meet the criteria our granters give us with the grant money, and so we are not able to help everyone.

For those who will lose their housing, how grateful we are that we can offer them warm, safe shelter.

The recent cold snap was brutal, and all I could think about were the many people that lose their housing in other communities and don't have a shelter like Lazarus House available to them.

Many other counties have emergency shelters that move from place to place, night by night. People who stay at those shelters have to take all their belongings with them in the morning, as they won't be back to that same shelter for a week or more. Then, too, most other emergency shelters close during the day, which can be really hard on folks when the weather is this cold.

How grateful I am that by God's grace and with the support of this wonderful community, we are able to offer shelter 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

Most not-for-profits have noticed a dip in donations during these hard economic times. For those who serve the economically disadvantaged, we have a double problem, as need for services increases at a time when giving may decrease. Yet we continue to be blessed by people who bring what they can and share their stories of how blessed they feel because they can help others.

This Christmas more people than ever have been telling us that they are not giving gifts to others this year, but instead donating to Lazarus House as a way to give a gift to others and to themselves. What a blessing!

Thank you for helping us care for our neighbors in need. Times are hard, the weather is brutal, but God is good, and by His grace and with the support of this incredible community, we have help and hope for our neighbors in need at the Lazarus House "inn."

Darlene Marcusson

Executive Director

Lazarus House

St. Charles