For better or worse, last year’s “Name a Need” campaign in Balaton was a resounding success. And this year, Victory Church is taking steps to make it even more impactful.
“Last year was a big success,” said Victory Church Pastor Matthew Cherry. “We filled a tree with needs, and almost every need was met. I think there were maybe two or three left that the church then fulfilled.”
Cherry said one of the goals of last year’s program was to simply get the word out and let residents know what the church is trying to do. There were no grand expectations, but the message was certainly delivered.
“We had a booth at the craft fair, and a lot of people stopped by to talk about the project,” he said. “In a launch year like that, it was just notifying the community that we’re doing this work and inviting people to be a part of it. I think that was a meaningful start, and we’re excited to see what year two looks like.”
The program, which debuted at Balaton Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2024 Balaton Craft & Vendor Show, is a simple one at its core and fosters confidentiality while giving back. A booth is set up at the craft show where people can fill out a basic form that includes the name of the person filling out the form and the name of the person they know who would have a need. There is also a list of options of needs that people may have — anything from groceries and gas cards, to baby formula and help paying bills.
The cards are put in a sealed envelope and will be placed on a tree at the church; the estimated cost of a need is listed on the outside of the envelope.
Cherry said “Name a Need” is one way the church, in a discreet way, show people outside the church that they are loved. He said the program isn’t meant to promote the church in any way or push spirituality on others. To the former, Victory has reached out to other churches in Balaton, in hopes of growing the program even more in year two.
Cherry said there were almost 40 need cards on last year’s tree with asks like groceries, fuel and utility help.
“Ideally, people wouldn’t be in such great need, but the challenge is, can we properly identify the needs and meet them?” Cherry said. “Can we bridge the gap between the existing needs and the challenge that is, can people ask for help? Sometimes, a family member will know that need is there, but they don’t have the means to get it.”
Part of the beauty of the program, Cherry said, is that people can meet the needs of others in a confidential manner. The outpouring of benevolence from the community means all the church has to do is administer everything — collecting the cards and getting them on the tree. After that, it’s up to the individuals to fulfill the promise.
The big change this year is that Victory Church, in an effort to reach as many people in need as possible, has reached out to other Balaton churches — Sillerud, Trinity, Balaton United Methodist and Skandia Evangelical Free — asking them if they would want to pitch in. Now, Cherry said, it’s a group effort, as a greater number of people can have access to the cards.
“Balaton Community Churches has adopted the initiative,” Cherry said. “I reached out to the local pastors — we do some Balaton community projects together — and we have a Balaton Community Churches Fund that people donate to that meets benevolence-type needs. We give things to people throughout the year. The other churches will have an opportunity to help identify needs, and they can have a tree up in their foyer, too.”
The tree(s) will go up at the church, or churches, in December. If a person isn’t able to make it to the craft show but wants to help someone in need, they can send an email to [email protected] Cherry said anyone can take part in the program — they don’t have to be a church member or even from Balaton.
“I have high expectations for this year,” Cherry said. “As Southwest Health and Human Services has reported, there are more than 2,700 households in southwest Minnesota that didn’t receive their SNAP benefits in November. People who are already struggling to get by, they’re in more of a pinch. Regardless of what we think the politics are of people didn’t receive SNAP benefits, we have neighbors in our community who are now having trouble putting food on the table and are relying on that program.”
