Practicing What We Preach

Emily Savela keeps having conversations with people who desire a way to make a difference but don’t know where to start. People are frustrated by the negativity, but they also can’t drop everything to fully help with a lot of the mutual aid organizations working discreetly.

She thinks that maybe you are feeling that way, too.

She’s not alone. When other peers suggested a silent auction to raise money for immigrant families who have been homebound, she saw an opportunity to answer that need.

This Saturday, March 21^st, from 3-7 pm, at Faith Lutheran, Emily and other invested community members organized a “Love your Neighbor” drop-in event. There will be live music, food trucks, silent auction items, and even a kitten snuggling booth. The community responded charitably when asked to help.

Her plea? Come! Bring a friend. Show up and be generous.  

Katie Drews is a gifted community organizer and is collaborating with sponsors throughout the area who have generously responded. “Organizing around love and hope is one of the most powerful things we can do right now,” said Drews. “[We hope to] bring people together in a joyful way while raising funds to support the people in our community who need it most right now.”

Faith is hosting because we have provided over $20,000 in the last three months toward rent, food, and other expenses for our community. All of the requests are through a liaison from the county or someone who works directly with the person in need. All of the money is paid directly to the vendor (landlord, food distributor, or business). In a time where there is suspicion in our state around fraudulent activity, the vetting is important and done with confidentiality. We’re also able to act quicker than more bureaucratic agencies to support time-sensitive needs.

One of our members, Nicole Lindberg, is a social worker and is frequently sending referrals to cover costs of rent, food, and other expenses that members of our community have incurred because they’ve sheltered from home.

While some county grants have helped, the needs continue to accumulate.

“I knew I had to be a part of it to show our neighbors they are no less than and they do belong,” said Lindberg. “Providing food was sustainable for a while but now people are facing evictions, or electricity and gas being turned off which are the basic necessities of life.”

“Our small group of volunteers connected to amplify existing mutual aid networks in Forest Lake,” said Savela. “We quickly realized we were also creating a gathering of joy and adding visibility to the network of neighborhood support that exists. Joy is one of the most powerful tools we have.”

Savela noted that over 180 individual donations have come in, and the goal of the event is to raise an additional $20,000 so families can remain housed and fed.

The needs are there. The families are real. The trauma and fear have not disappeared.

Lindberg said, “I think this is exactly what we preach at Faith. Love your neighbor, no exceptions. Now we’re practicing what we preach.”

If you’d like to support this community effort but cannot attend, you’re invited to contribute at https://secure.myvanco.com/L-Z1PH/campaign/C-11FCP and put “Community” in the Fund name.

Pastor John Klawiter is the senior pastor of Faith Lutheran Church, an ELCA congregation in Forest Lake. For more information, email him at