More families in Jacksonville will have a better Christmas after a Jacksonville company donated 150 brand-new toys to clients being assisted by the Lutheran Social Services Refugee Services program.
On December 19th, the Jacksonville branch of the United States Gypsum Company (USG) exemplified the true spirit of giving through a donation of brand-new toys to the children of the clients LSS helps. The USG team personally came to the LSS office to make the delivery, which also included a $5,000 to the agency.
The USG team has previously supported LSS. Before Thanksgiving, the USG office rallied together, contributing nearly 6,000 pounds of food to LSS's pantry. This substantial donation directly assisted hundreds of local families, providing them with essential nourishment during the holiday season.
The collaborative effort at the Jacksonville USG office embodies the essence of community support and compassion.
Other organizations have shown their generosity to refugee familes, which include the generous donation of over 200 gifts from Riverside Presbyterian Church.
LSS was founded in 1979 as a hunger relief agency. The agency began serving refugees just one year later, in 1980, and has been doing so ever since. In 2023, the LSS Refugee Services Program provided comprehensive support to 2,542 refugees arriving in Jacksonville.
LSS is the most robust refugee services provider in Northeast Florida, providing not only resettlement, but also employment, career laddering, case management, and youth mentoring and tutoring. All LSS programs foster social and economic self-sufficiency, while providing community integration services for our new neighbors.
LSS has continued to grow over the years, adding programs for HIV services, representative payee services, and financial and career coaching. Learn more about LSS programs here.