Thanksgiving Dinners

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving for our Normandale House families as church mem-bers donated food and money so our families would have food for the holiday.

With the generous donations, we were able to give to our three current resident families as well as four more for our Elliott fami-lies.

Thank you members for caring for our families!

Reading Buddies

Reading Buddies held their annual Christmas party at Old Country Buffet and Marshall‘s Department Store on December 5.

We had four of our families and our reading buddies sit together for Christmas meal. Everyone liked that fact that they could choose what they wanted to eat.

After the meal the parents stayed at the restaurant while the reading buddies took the kids over to Marshall‘s to buy gifts for their parents. It was chaotic, it was fun, and the Lord blessed our evening!

Normandale House Thank You's!

House Maintenance

―Thank you, volunteers who helped us paint the outside of the house! The stucco on the back of the house needed repainting after our old porch and windows were removed to make room for our new back porch. We also have new roof gutters, glass block basement windows, railings added to the front stairs, and new outside doors. A grant from Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless funded these needed improvements, while our partner, Urban Homeworks, provided direction to the work.

Eagle Scout Project

We would like to thank Normandale member Blake Levin, who completed his Eagle Scout service project for the benefit of Normandale House. Blake and his Boy Scout Troop 68, along with parents, created a backyard patio for our residents to enjoy. We also thank the Normandale Foundation for donating funds for project supplies.

Computer Donation Drive

Thank you all who joined our computer donation drive for PCs for People. We had 80 individuals participate! Normandale House residents will receive computers from PCs for People in the future because of your generosity.

If you still have computers and related material to donate, go to www.pcsforpeople.org for more information.

Normandale Housing Ministries

Through Normandale Housing Ministries, we assist, empower, and partner with families seeking transition from homelessness to independent living. Using a holistic model and partnerships, we provide housing, support services, and education.

In 1993, Normandale Lutheran Church chose to work in partnership with Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church to develop an “interim house” as a way for homeless people to enter the mainstream of society. With financial help from the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency and the Normandale Church Foundation, we purchased a triplex on Chicago Avenue and formed the Normandale Housing Corporation. After being restored, decorated, and furnished, “Normandale House” opened in November, 1996. Since then, it has been a home to over 40 families.

In 2007, we formed a partnership with Urban Homeworks to acquire four duplexes on Elliot Avenue offering permanent affordable housing. While Urban Homeworks manages the properties, we provide families with support services.

Ministry Opportunities:

Support Team: Two individuals per family (and our case manager) meet regularly with families to help them achieve their goals.

Family Friends: An individual or entire family commits to engage in periodic social activities with a Normandale House family.

Reading Buddies: Normandale youth spend 1½ hours a week eating, reading, and playing with our resident children.

New Resident Preparation: Teams and individuals clean, furnish, and fix up apartments as needed.

Contact: Val Pruitt, Program Manager, vpruitt@normluth.org, 612-872-4021 ext 32 or Phil Larson, Volunteer Coordinator, phil@normluth.org, 952-994-7898