First Lutheran Church Kingsville started to support KDHS four years ago. The idea was to provide lunches and a safe place for students. We wanted to provide nutrition not only for their bodies but also to share with them daily wisdom by opening discussion about questions that they might not have answered in their normal lives.

We started to call the group Living Differently. Participation in this activity is voluntary. Basically students have a choice to come for lunch and stay, or they can eat it somewhere else.

Four years ago we started with 10 students and now we have more than 120 coming every Thursday to enjoy lunches that our volunteers prepare under the leadership of Wendy Bott. I thank them for their hard work. We often have teachers coming for a talk or enjoy lunch as well.

Regarding lessons, we had only thee volunteers at the beginning who were preparing topics for every lesson. We were very much focused on our community and what it means to live here, and how we can be different helping others applying love that we received from God.

I remember how we prepared cards and cookies for Seniors at the near-by retirement home and then distributed those cards to them, and how we prepared over 500 cookies for other students during their exams.

Over the last two years we’ve cooperated with other churches from the town. There are youth pastors from the Kingsville Community Church, First Baptist Church, and Leamington United Mennonite Church involved. I have to say, we developed great relationships together and have lot of fun working with students at KDHS.

It was only natural that we helped parents of the graduating class of KDHS to make their grad day special. I would like to say thank you to all volunteers from our church, Hog for Hospice volunteers, and all parents for a great time we could spend together. I am especially thankful for the great idea to make this unusual grad celebration a little bit nicer.