FAQ

Lutheran Social Services (LSS) serves thousands of people each day in 26 Ohio counties by providing the basic human needs of food, shelter, safety and healing. Our LSS Network of Hope offers food through the LSS Food Pantries, housing and supportive services through LSS Faith Mission and LSS Faith Mission of Fairfield County homeless shelters, domestic violence services through LSS CHOICES for Victims of Domestic Violence, senior living and health care facilities, affordable housing communities and other programs and services that uplift families and strengthen communities.

LSS has many locations throughout the state. The home office for Lutheran Social Services is located at 1105 Schrock Rd., Ste 100 Columbus, OH 43229. No services are provided at the home office. We are also unable to accept donated items at this address. To view the addresses of LSS programs, please visit each individual program webpage.

We do not offer assistance with rent, utilities, clothing or household items. If you need help, please contact LSS 211 Central Ohio in Franklin County or your local 211 by dialing 2-1-1.

We do offer assistance with food through our pantry system. Click here for more information about the LSS Food Pantries or call 614-LSS-MEAL.

LSS offers volunteer opportunities in several programs. It is through the support of our volunteers that LSS can offer services and programs that impact lives. To explore our volunteer opportunities, click here.

Yes! Click here to make a one-time donation or to set up a monthly donation through our secure giving site.

Checks can be mailed to our secure lockbox at:

Lutheran Social Services

PO Box 182010

Columbus, OH 43218-2010

A gift to Lutheran Social Services will be used toward our greatest needs across our LSS Network of Hope. You may also note on your check a specific LSS program you wish to support (LSS Food Pantries, LSS Faith Mission, LSS Faith Mission of Fairfield County, LSS CHOICES for Victims of Domestic Violence or LSS 211 Central Ohio).

We do not recommend sending cash in the mail.

Thank you for wanting to support LSS with a monthly gift! Being a monthly donor is one of the most impactful ways to give. Click here for more information on our Faithful Friends monthly giving program and how to create an online gift.

Please note: If you would like your monthly gift to come directly from your checking or savings account, please call our Mission Advancement office at 614-641-2984.

Yes! Please click here for more information.

Click here to make a gift in someone’s memory or in tribute to a special person or occasion. Please be sure to include the contact information of the person you would like us to notify about your gift.

We understand the profound impact a loved one’s passing can have, and we’re honored that many families request memorial gifts be directed to our program. For more information on how to set up a memorial tribute, please click here or give us a call at 614-641-2984.

LSS accepts donations to the following programs:

• Greatest need across the LSS Network of Hope (benefits all programs)
• LSS Faith Mission
• LSS Food Pantries
• LSS CHOICES for Victims of Domestic Violence
• LSS Faith Mission of Fairfield County
• LSS 211 Central Ohio

Our programs work hard to provide our clients with all their basic needs as well as some of the comforts of home every day. You can help by donating these much-appreciated needed items to the program of your choice. Click here to learn more about in-kind donations.

Please note: We are unable to accept donated items at our corporate office in Columbus. Items must be delivered directly to our program locations.

LSS is not able to pick up donations. For more information about drop off locations, click here.

LSS has more than one Tax ID based on the program.

31-4412586     Lutheran Social Services, LSS Food Pantries and LSS Faith Mission of Fairfield County

31-4412586     LSS Faith Mission

31-0910779     LSS CHOICES for Victims of Domestic Violence

31-1084722     LSS 211 Central Ohio (aka HandsOn Central Ohio)

The 501c3 letters of determination for LSS, Faith Mission and CHOICES can be found here.

If you need a copy of the most recent W9 for one of our programs, please contact our Mission Advancement office at 614-649-2984 or contact us.

The most recent 990’s for LSS can be found here.

Please know we are working as quickly as possible to process your gift and send you a receipt. Checks are deposited the day we receive them, but it is possible that there is a postal delay. If your check has not been cashed after two weeks, please contact our Mission Advancement office at 614-429-5500.

If you donate online, you will receive an email confirmation once your donation is complete.

If you give through the mail to our secure lockbox at PO Box 182010 Columbus, OH 43218-2010, you can expect a mailed receipt within 7-10 days.

We use a secure payment processor to ensure that your credit card information is safe. Sometimes the payment processor may reject your information for unspecified reasons. If the charge has been blocked, we recommend contacting your issuing bank to understand why the charge was blocked.

If you receive a message that there is an address/zip code mismatch or that the credit card number is invalid, please refresh the page and try again.

You can also call 614-641-2984 to donate securely over the phone.

Protecting your security when you donate online is our top priority. We protect your information by using a Level 1 PCI compliant partner to provide a secure and safe environment for credit card donations. All information is stored in a secure database and LSS staff has no access to credit card information for gifts made through our online giving page.

Our secure online donation software does give you the ability to create an account to manage your contact and payment information and keep track of your individual or monthly donations.

To create an account, click here and choose Create an account on the top right portion of the donation form and follow the steps to create an account.

Be sure you are logged before completing you gift to ensure it gets linked to your account. To log in, click here and choose the Log-in option.

Please Note: If you are updating payment information for a monthly gift, you will need to change it on both the Payment Methods and Recurring Gifts tabs in your account.

If you have any questions or are experiencing issues with your account, please contact our Mission Advancement office at 614-429-5500.

All donations made to LSS or any of its programs are tax deductible. We issue tax receipts at the time of donation – via email for online gifts or by mail for mailed gifts. If you would like to request a receipt for one or more donations you made this year, please contact the Mission Advancement office at 614-641-2984.

We recommend that you consult with your tax advisor for proper tax treatment of any donations.

If you have created an account already, you can update your credit card information by clicking here, logging in to your account and going to the Payment Methods tab.

Please note: If you are updating payment information for a monthly gift, you will need to update it in both the Payment Methods and Recurring Gifts tabs.

If you have make a monthly gift but did not create an account, please call 614-429-5484 to update your credit card information over the phone. We can also assist you with creating an account and linking your recurring gift to the account, giving you the ability to make changes at your convenience.

If you wish to make a new one-time gift and but have not previously created an account, please know that our donation portal does not retain credit card numbers from previous online donations. You can make a new gift here. You can also create an account by choosing the Create an Account option on the right just above the donation form. Be sure you are logged in before making the gift, to ensure it logs in your account.

Please call our Mission Advancement office at 614-641-2984 to adjust or cancel donations. If you have a monthly gift and created an account, you can make changes or cancel it by selecting the Log-in option on our donation page.

Donations made to LSS or one of its programs provide people in need with food, shelter, safety and healing. This includes operational expenses that are required to run a large organization, such as utilities, food, personnel, finance, HR, building maintenance and more.

Please view our annual reports for more specific financial information.

To change your mailing address, please call 614-641-2984 or contact us online.

Our mailings are one of the ways we share impact of your generous support on the people we serve! These mailers also serve as a reminder that we need your help throughout the year, and, without it, we might be unable to continue providing food, shelter and life-changing programs to people in need.

If you want to reduce or change the number of mailings you receive, please call 614-641-2984 or contact us.

Please note: Due to the lead time needed for a mailing, you may continue to receive mailings for 6 to 8 weeks.