LAMA receives $10,000 Manna Grant

About the Manna Grant

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona (LAMA) gratefully acknowledges receipt of a Manna Grant in the amount of $10,000! Because of a generous legacy gift from longtime member Orpha Hoganson to Ascension Lutheran Church, who in turn gifted the funds to the Grand Canyon Synod for stewardship, LAMA and the Grand Canyon Synod Hunger Leaders Network can continue working to alleviate hunger.

Grantees are required to use the funds to address at least one root cause of hunger in their work (e.g., poverty, employment instability, inadequate education, medical issues, lack of childcare, race and/or gender inequity, inferior infrastructure, poor decision-making), and to demonstrate a commitment to diversity and inclusivity in leadership and decision-making. LAMA plans to use this generous gift to educate our congregations about hunger at the state, federal and global level, and to advocate for legislation that supports and defends our siblings experiencing food insecurity.

Pastor Randy Winsand and members of Ascension Lutheran Church give Bishop Hutterer Manna Grant funds at the 2022 GCS Synod Assembly.

One person’s generosity becomes a legacy

The funding for the Manna Grant came from Ascension Lutheran Church in Paradise Valley, honoring the legacy of member Orpha Hoganson. Orpha was a librarian in the public schools and enjoyed reading to children attending Sunday School. While she did not have a family, many called her “Grandma.”

As a younger woman, she enjoyed the summers off from the school by traveling. She would take a room on a commercial freighter and see the world, often not knowing exactly where the ship would end up. Here she saw poverty and hunger in ways that created her desire to help. Serving in public schools also exposed her to the need for hunger relief in the community.

She decided in her later years she could make a difference. First, she gave money to church members who could go to India to open a clinic where the need for health care was great.

Upon Orpah’s death, her estate gave $180,000 to Ascension Lutheran to be used for local hunger and world hunger. This was managed by the church for twenty years and it was decided it was time to use this in a dynamic way with these Manna Grants.

We offer thanks to God, to the GCS Grants Committee, and to the good people of Ascension Lutheran Church for this generous gift. We are honored!