Community Connections

The Link’s C.O.R.E (Community, Outreach, Resources, and Empowerment) Drop-In Center is located in Grace Lutheran Church. The C.O.R.E Drop-In Center provides a place where youth who are at-risk of or are currently experiencing homelessness can get help with basic needs (food, clothes, shower, laundry, etc.) and connections to case management and longer term services such as housing.

Grace Lutheran sponsors one of the CATCH (Coalition on Affordable Transitional Community Housing) apartments. Formed in 1988 by Dakota County, MN area congregations, CATCH is a non-profit, ecumenical, faith-based 501(c)3 organization run by volunteers and teams from area churches. CATCH provides, develops, promotes, and maintains safe, clean, accessible, and affordable housing for people with low and limited incomes, as well as providing education and advocacy on behalf of persons who are homeless.

Each March, our Public Faith Team heads our participation in the statewide FoodShare Campaign. This is the largest grassroots food & fund drive in Minnesota, and we directly support our local food shelf at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church.

This program, formerly known as NAPS, is the Commodity Supplemental Food Program. We are a monthly distribution site for Second Harvest Heartland, specifically for senior citizens and those living with disability. Church members coordinate the distribution of food to recipients.

Every Meal is an organization committed to fighting childhood hunger. One way they do this is through their Weekend Meal Program, to help fill the weekend food gap many students experience. Grace members deliver food weekly to Cedar Park Elementary School to help meet this need.