Anyone who has teens (or works with teens, or has even just driven past a high school or middle school lately) knows that no matter how cold it is, they avoid wearing winter coats. Instead, they want sweatshirts and hoodies—either pullover or zip-up.

We had another successful blood drive at First Lutheran on Monday, Nov. 2. We collected 39 units of whole blood and 4 double red donations. Up to 125 people in our community will benefit from your generous giving. Our next blood drive is scheduled for Tuesday, March 8, 2016, from 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m

First Teen Clothes Closet is a busy place. While most members may not notice it, the upper level of “the house” next door has been visited on at least a weekly basis over the last four months by young people in need of simple clothes to get them through. More than 60 individuals have been able to find the things they need — a total of nearly 600 clothing and footwear items, plus toiletries, feminine products and items such as belts, purses and accessories. Through your donations, both of gently used age-appropriate clothing and funds to be used to purchase toiletries and undergarments, we have provided 165 shirts, more than 70 pairs of jeans and pants, 83 pairs of shorts, 55 pairs of shoes, 23 dresses and much more.