On Saturday, January 22nd, the Outreach Committee prepared and served dinner at the Lowell Transitional Living Center (LTLC). The (LTLC) is a community supported, nonprofit organization that provides a safe, temporary shelter for homeless men and women in the Greater Lowell area, including Billerica residents. Many who have lost hope can find it again here. Their mission is making positive changes in people's lives as they seek to end homelessness in our community.

Many thanks to Nita Owen for her leadership and coordination of this event!

l to r: Nita, Jenny, Terry, Stephen, and Alex work on the homemade applesauce. Linda and Bob helped pack up and load the food.	The meal - roast pork, green beans, cole slaw, rice and homemade applesauce was a gourmet's delight. Dessert was three kinds of fruit crisp and whipped cream- our church specialty. You should have seen all the happy faces!

The clients and staff were openly appreciative of our efforts,often expressing their pleasure at the change of menu from the usual Saturday hot dogs and beans.

Another church group (from Chelmsford) did the setup and cleanup and table serving, along with some of our folks, including Rev Katherine, Jon, Don, and Glenda. Bob and Steve filled the plates, working with the LTLC's staff, one of whom told us he ordinarily put in 13-hour days.

For more about the Lowell Transitional Living Center, see http://ltlc.org

In a sad postscript to our visit, one week later, when he tried to intervene in a fight, one of the Center's staff was killed by a 19-year-old homeless man, . This staff member, Jose Roldan, had himself been a previous client at the Center but had put his life back together and held a job at the Center.

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2011/01/29/lowell-shelter-worker-stabbed/

First Congregational Church
18 Andover Rd.
Billerica, MA 01821
Phone: 978-663-8433
Pastor: Rev Katherine Adams