Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota celebrates anniversary

To celebrate 90 years of service to communities in North Dakota, Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota is hosting a 90th anniversary celebration at 2 p.m. on Sunday at the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 1821 Ninth Ave. W., Williston.

There are performances by Alanna Morin, Quinn Wahlstrom, Falon Schmaltz, the Rev. Muriel Lippert and regional musical ensembles and choirs. Silent auction items include prints by Octavio Ocampo and Jean Keaton, quilts, books and other items. Bars and coffee will also be served.

Over the past 90 years, the agency has grown from an adoption program run out of a Fargo woman’s living room to an agency that today has 19 programs providing support and services to residents across the entire state of North Dakota.

The original agency, the Lutheran Children’s Home Finding Society, was incorporated on Feb. 24, 1919. The first services offered by LSS included housing for working girls and unmarried mothers, adoption and oversight of foster homes. Among Lutheran Social Services’ 19 programs are:

*Adoption Option which offers counseling and facilitates North Dakota infant, interstate, international and identified adoptions.

*Lutheran Disaster Response which helps communities throughout the state as they deal with flood, tornado and other disasters.

*Luther Hall serves children and adolescents between the ages of 10 and 18 who have been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder and need 24-hour care and treatment. Qualified mental health professionals provide each resident with an individualized plan to meet their specific needs.

*Great Plains Food Bank which aids 1 in 12 North Dakotans who seek emergency food assistance each year. The program provided more than 5.5 million pounds of donated surplus food and grocery products to a network of 230 food pantries, shelters and other feeding programs in more than 80 communities last year.

Other LSS programs include Daily Bread, New American Services, Senior Companion Program, LSS Housing, Child Care Resources & Referral, Healthy Families, Day Report, Restorative Justice, Tracking, Attendant Care, Youth Court, Family Based Services, Freedom From Violence, Gamblers Choice and DIVERT.

For more information on these programs, visit www.lssnd.org, or contact Hope Deutscher at 701-271-3236 or Peggy Bearce at 701-774-0749.