On December 23rd, we completed our Christmas Basket Outreach by delivering over 100 baskets to the residents of Rosein Towers, a low income, senior housing project about a block away from St John’s. Thank you to all who helped with their donations, volunteering to shop, sort and deliver the baskets!
This is truly a St John’s outreach. We all contributed by purchasing groceries, donating money, signing cards or picking up groceries, packing the bins, driving the truck or being one of the many volunteers who helped deliver on the 23rd! Thanks to Dean Smith from Ardern Whitney, Debbie Pierce, David Deitzel and Alice Baldwin’s visiting family, we even had helpers were are not members of St John’s!
A very special note of thanks to Melanie Hollman and Burris Smith who helped in every way and is the master minds behind the operation! With our many helping hands and their organization we were done in no time!
This is the 9th year we have delivered the Christmas Baskets, which are really 18-22 gallon plastic bins, filled with non-perishable food, toiletries, a Christmas card from our congregation, some fruit and a bit of Christmas candy. The residents look forward to their gifts and are very appreciative.
However, this year, there was an extra opportunity to help our neighbors. Some of the residents have very little furniture and were forced to discard some of their upholstered furniture earlier this year due to a bug infestation. Their apartments are very bare. If you have pieces of furniture you would like to donate, please call Betty (921-0017) to discuss the need.
Wouldn’t it be lovely to extend our Outreach to Rosein Towers this year and perhaps plan another event in the months ahead? Maybe we could cook a meal at the church and take it over after a Sunday service? Contact Melanie Hollman if you have ideas and are interested in pursuing this outreach!