Kent Lutheran Church partners with the community and especially works to maintain a relationship with the City of Kent. Our location gives us the unique opportunity to partner with the City of Kent, Catholic Community Services, Lions, Rotary Club, Rose Society, other congregations and other civic organizations. We partner with these organizations and primarily focus on serving the homeless community of the Kent valley.

Kent Community Supper (KCS)

History
Kent Community Supper serves a meal every Monday to those in need. We have been in continuous operation every Monday night since 1983. We first began meeting to formulate the supper in the fall of 1982 when needs in Kent prompted us to organize it. The first meal was served January 10, 1983. We had hoped it would be a short-lived program, but the need continues.

Most of the diners live in or near Kent. We serve young families struggling to make ends meet, single parent families, elderly who are lonely, and homeless and low-income men and women. We are not a government-sponsored program and do not require personal information from our diners. Our bylaws state we will serve those in need, whatever is their need.

Volunteers
Teams of volunteers serve once a month. Volunteers come from Kent area churches and service organizations. Gleaners collect fruits and vegetables from participating grocery stores. Other volunteers work in the morning preparing food, afternoon setting tables, and evening serving food and cleaning up, taking down the tables and chairs and mopping the floor.

Financial
We have an annual budget of about $12,000 a year. Serving 150 meals each week for 52 weeks a year means we provide some 7,800 meals every year. We estimate it takes about 175 volunteer man-hours each week to provide the meal, at a cost of a little more than $1.25 a meal. In addition to this hot meal, there is a take-home table allowing diners to take home food for the rest of the week. These foods are leftovers from the supper and bread, bakery items, milk, and fruits and vegetables from our gleaning.

Kent service organizations, such as Kiwanis, Rotary, Soroptimist, HRH Family Foundation, Lions, churches in the Kent area, and individual donations and bequests help support Kent Community Supper. At times grocery stores have donated their unused frozen meats.

We have earned a good reputation in the Kent community.

Kent Community Supper is an official 501c3 organization.

Kent Community Supper Time:
Every Monday from 5 to 6 pm

Kent Community Supper Place:
Fellowship Hall

All Are Welcome

H.O.M.E.

Kent Lutheran Church provides an on-site men's shelter called H.O.M.E. at varying times throughout the year. This is a joint venture with Catholic Community Services and other local churches. The objective is to provide homeless men with shelter and food for the evening.

Severe Weather Shelter

In partnership with the City of Kent and Catholic Community Services (CCS), Kent Lutheran Church serves as one of the South King County locations for a SWS when the City of Kent declares the conditions warrant the need. In partnership with Catholic Community Services, KLC is prepared to open its doors to homeless people between November and March. It is also the only emergency shelter in S. King County with a generator if there is a power outage affecting the downtown Kent area.

The shelter will be activated by the City of Kent Housing and Human Services Manager when low temperatures fall below 32 degrees for 24 or more consecutive hours and/or snow accumulation exceeding or expected to exceed 3 inches in depth and/or other conditions deemed severe enough to present a substantial threat to life or health of homeless persons.

Kent Lutheran Church’s role

(1) From November 1 through March 31, when the City declares that a severe weather condition exists that necessitates the opening of a severe weather shelter, the City will ask Kent Lutheran to open a shelter to house up to 50 individuals while the severe weather condition exists. Men will be housed together in one room, women will be housed together in another room, and families will be housed together in a third area.

(2) Kent Lutheran will operate the severe weather shelter according to the following general schedule:

• 9 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. – The shelter will remain open to receive clients

(3) Kent Lutheran will supply volunteers to prepare shelter mats for use; prepare meals for shelter residents; sanitize, clean, and store shelter mats; and clean the shelter area. Volunteers will also help to monitor over-night shelter with guidance of the paid CCS staff.

(4) Kent Lutheran will accept residents who are referred to Kent Lutheran by service providers, emergency services, faith groups, walk-ins, or other referrals.

View a Video About The Service

Fresh Start Shower Trailer

Kent Lutheran Church, in association with the Kent Sunshine Rotary, built and maintain a Fresh Start Shower Trailer. This two stall shower trailer is used by the H.O.M.E. shelter to provide daily showers for the clients.

Luther's Table

Located in the City of Renton, Luther's Table is a restaurant who's mission is to to share the gospel, the story of God’s Grace toward all people in Jesus Christ, with everyone whose lives touch ours. Our intent is to go out from here into our downtown community, serving where needed.

Luther's Table is a mission of the ELCA. Their address is: 419 S. 2nd St. Suite 1. Renton, WA 98057 425-970-3157. For more information on Luther's Table visit their website at LuthersTable.org

Partial funding for Luther's Table is provided from special offerings at Kent Lutheran Church.

Nativity Lutheran Partnership

Confirmation of our youth is something that we find to be important in their spiritual lives. We have many resources and partnerships which help our youth to succeed. One of these partnerships is with Nativity Lutheran. Our two confirmation classes are joined together for the benefit of our mutual youth programs through confirmation classes, learning of Christ Jesus and mission acitivities.