Reserve a spot now for Freedom Breakfast

Reservations for the 24th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Breakfast will be taken through Nov. 28.

The breakfast will be from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Jan. 16 at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 1040 P St. Nebraska Supreme Court Justice John Gerrard is the keynote speaker.

Tickets are $20 each for people who want to be listed as sponsors, and $10 for non-sponsors. Space is limited.

The Freedom Breakfast is a joint program of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the City of Lincoln, Southeast Community College and the Lincoln Public School District.

For more information, call Nancy Knapp at 472-1663.

Goal: 100 coats by Thanksgiving

The demise of the Steve & Barry’s store in Lincoln will benefit some of the city’s neediest people if Scott Guenther, high school youth minister at Messiah Lutheran Church, has any say.

On a recent visit to the Westfield Gateway store, he noticed a large supply of varsity-type coats and sweatshirts available for just a few dollars.

“I thought that for such a cheap price, wouldn’t it be nice to start buying coats and collecting them to give to the homeless shelters in our city,” Guenther said. “They may not be the absolute warmest coats in the world, but they are new and much better than many people have.”

He hopes to collect 100 coats before the store closes at the end of the month. To date, he has 75 coats but was told by the People’s City Mission all donations would be used. So he is taking his donation drive to the public.

Earlier this week, Steve & Barry’s marked its clothes down to two for $5, Guenther said.

“But good used coats would be fine too, and hats and gloves — anything to get people ready for winter.”

Drop off donations at the church, 1800 S. 84th St. To keep up to date on the collection drive, visit Guenther’s blog at www.thespiderman.com.

Concert benefits Relay for Life

Lincoln’s popular a cappella group No Better Cause performs Nov. 22 in a benefit concert for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.

The concert, which begins at 7:30 p.m. at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church at 84th Street and Pioneers Boulevard, coincides with the official release of the group’s new gospel CD, “Sanctuary.”

Doors open at 6:15 p.m. A silent auction will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Tickets are $10 per person or $25 per family and are available at the door.

Coffee, conversation and kids

First-Plymouth Congregation Church begins its new Coffee and Conversation group for parents and people who care for children on Wednesday.

The program will be from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of  the month. Young children are welcome to play in the meeting room.

Upcoming topics include:

- Wednesday: Creative writing for renewal and relaxation, led by Christi Thaut.

- Dec. 3: Embracing the spiritual aspects of Christmas and avoiding the stress, led by the Rev. Renae Koehler.

- Dec. 17: Couple-hood: nurturing the marriage, led by Erin Glenn-Hash.

- Jan. 7: Intentions for the new year: how to focus on your dreams and passions, led by Koehler.

For information, call Koehler at 476-7565 Ext. 217 or email renae@firstplymouth.org.