Current Donation Drive: Undue Medical Debt
This summer, churches in Northeast Pennsylvania are partnering to raise the money needed to forgive over $2 million of medical debt in Lehigh and Northampton counties. Through our partnership with Undue Medical Debt (a 501c3 non-profit) donor gifts are used to purchase discounted hospital debt at an average of $1 for $100 worth of debt. This means each donation relieves about 100 times its value of medical debt. Undue uses data analytics to identify those most in need: households that are at or below 4 times the federal poverty level, and whose debt is 5% or more of their annual income. What a difference we can make in the lives of our neighbors!
Here at Grace, the Outreach and Social Concerns Team is partnering with the Brotherly Love Parish Nursing Ministry to hold a fundraiser. On Saturday July 18 from 1 to 4 pm, in Fellowship Hall, there will be an ice cream social, basket raffle, and a bake sale. All proceeds will go towards this debt relief project. We will need volunteers to help with setting up Fellowship Hall, selling raffle tickets, selling baked goods and ice cream, serving the ice cream and toppings, and cleanup. We need donations of baked goods. Keep an eye out for a signup sheet. Also, there will be printed mailer cards similar to the ones we send out for the Apple Harvest Festival. Please take one and post it where you live, work, or shop.
If you can help with this event, please speak to Pastor Samantha, or Heidi DaRe. Signup sheets will be posted soon. If you wish to contribute financially, please make your check out to Grace Lutheran Church with “undue fundraiser” or “medical debt fundraiser” in the memo line, so we can track your contributions. Thank you!!!
Annual or Quarterly Support
Lehigh Mission District Ingathering: Through the Lehigh Mission District of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod of Lutheran churches, the annual Ingathering provides needed personal items and Christmas gifts to many different non-profit institutions in the Lehigh Valley. Grace collects the requested items during October and November. The items are then packed up and delivered to the organizations in need during the first week of December. For 2025, Grace collected the following:
Boys and Girls Club of Allentown
• Christmas plates (18 pks) and napkins (12 pks)
• Christmas plastic tablecloths (8)
• Plastic knives, forks, and spoons (20 pks)
• Christmas candy/candy canes (20 boxes)
• Personal items: bar soap (108 bars) and shampoo (24 bottles)
• Socks for boys and girls, all sizes (147 pair)
YMCA Warming Station, Allentown
• Instant coffee (6)
• Powdered creamer (7)
• Coffee cups (14 pks)
• Paper plates (9 pks) and bowls (9 pks)
• Men’s underwear, sizes med. - ex. large (25 pair)
• Men’s socks (75 pair)
• Women’s underwear, sizes med. - ex. large (22 pair)
• Women’s socks (28 pair)
Also given were the congregation's financial contributions ($620), and 10 wrapped gifts for the Good Shepherd Raker Center. MANY THANKS to everyone who shopped and donated!
Daybreak Allentown The Daybreak Drop-in Day Shelter, operated by the Lehigh Conference of Churches, is in need of new and gently used socks and brand new underwear in all sizes for both men and women. Please place your donations in the collection box by the back door in the Chapel. Thanks to Bill Konek for keeping this wonderful ministry working!
St. Luke's Winter Clothing Drive: During the colder months (November - March), GLC collects gently-used winter coats, hats, scarves, gloves, and sweat suits. These are given to St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in downtown Allentown, where they are distributed to people in need. Men’s, women’s, and children’s coats of all sizes are needed. During the season, please leave your donations in the large blue bin in the chapel. During the 2023-2024 cold season, Grace collected and donated 55 coats and 105 hats, gloves, scarves, and other clothing items.
The Kindness Project: The Kindness Project supports foster and adoptive families across Eastern PA by supplying clothing, shoes, personal care products, and other essential items for those in need. Read more at mykindnessproject.org. For Lent 2026, the following was collected and donated:
• kid's shampoo and conditioner 15 • teen shampoo and conditioner 7 • sweatshirts 6 • Target gift cards • toothbrushes 14 packs • toothpaste 8 boxes
• mechanical pencils 1 pack • gel pens 1 pack. Thank you to Kathy Soska for tallying and delivering everything collected, and to all who donated!
Other Ongoing Support
Lutheran World Relief: We make health kits for disaster survivors, and also contribute financially. LWR gives lifesaving aid to those in emergencies around the world. You may donate online, or make your checks payable to Grace Lutheran Church, with “LWR” in the subject line. Read more about their efforts and what you can do to support them: LWR.org
ELCA World Hunger Appeal: We give to help eradicate world hunger through the ELCA World Hunger Appeal. Learn more about the ELCA's efforts at this link: ELCA World Hunger
