Wednesday
Jul222009
A Great Big Day
Wednesday, July 22, 2009 at 6:26PM
I am so proud of this group! We had an amazing day of work and play today. They are really getting to know each other and understand how to operate as a group. We are MACHINES with sorting and organizing canned goods!
Yesterday it was at a grassroots Community Outreach center where they hand out about 200 bags of food twice a week to the homeless and poor in the area. We came up with great assembly lines for stuffing bags there and replinishing supplies to each station. The corn person (Lindsay) would yell "CORN" and Lori or I would be in the back storage area, hear it, and get a case of corn out to them saying "GOT YOUR CORN HERE!" Same went for carrots (Adara), beans and soup (William), Tomatoes (Kendyl), etc.
Today we sorted cans at a huge food warehouse known as Loaves and Fishes. This is the kind of place where major food drive food is received - like the Postal Workers Food Drive (I left a few cans out for the mail carrier in May, did you?). It was extremely organized. We unloaded large bins (picture a pallett squared) and put the cans into smaller bins (recycling bin size) that would be distributed to smaller food banks around the city (at churches, etc.). Cans were flying everywhere! You should have seen the hard work. It was awesome.
This afternoon we visited an assisted living residence for Alzheimers patients. Again, the group was amazing. Nobody showed fear in having one on one conversations with the residents who enjoyed having some kids around. Some of us sang. Some of us made puppets that the staff will use in storytelling. Lots of our kids told stories of their grandparents who have Alzheimers or some form of dementia. They are great, compassionate, sensitive, and outgoing kids. I am touched by their fearlessness and concern for the spirit of all people.
The truly beautiful day ended with a massive game of Capture the Flag at Freedom Park. We played with the youth from Palms Presbyterian. All kinds of awesomeess going on here.
Love to Lakewood!
Katie
Yesterday it was at a grassroots Community Outreach center where they hand out about 200 bags of food twice a week to the homeless and poor in the area. We came up with great assembly lines for stuffing bags there and replinishing supplies to each station. The corn person (Lindsay) would yell "CORN" and Lori or I would be in the back storage area, hear it, and get a case of corn out to them saying "GOT YOUR CORN HERE!" Same went for carrots (Adara), beans and soup (William), Tomatoes (Kendyl), etc.
Today we sorted cans at a huge food warehouse known as Loaves and Fishes. This is the kind of place where major food drive food is received - like the Postal Workers Food Drive (I left a few cans out for the mail carrier in May, did you?). It was extremely organized. We unloaded large bins (picture a pallett squared) and put the cans into smaller bins (recycling bin size) that would be distributed to smaller food banks around the city (at churches, etc.). Cans were flying everywhere! You should have seen the hard work. It was awesome.
This afternoon we visited an assisted living residence for Alzheimers patients. Again, the group was amazing. Nobody showed fear in having one on one conversations with the residents who enjoyed having some kids around. Some of us sang. Some of us made puppets that the staff will use in storytelling. Lots of our kids told stories of their grandparents who have Alzheimers or some form of dementia. They are great, compassionate, sensitive, and outgoing kids. I am touched by their fearlessness and concern for the spirit of all people.
The truly beautiful day ended with a massive game of Capture the Flag at Freedom Park. We played with the youth from Palms Presbyterian. All kinds of awesomeess going on here.
Love to Lakewood!
Katie
Reader Comments (4)
I suspect Lindsay was well equipped to talk with the Dementia patients since her great grandmother is 103 1/2 years old and we visit her often. She always has an interesting story to tell us although only a few are real. During Thanksgiving two years ago, she explained how my father (Lindsay's grandfather) swam across one of the Great Lakes. Of course this followed his season at Michigan State University, where he quarterbacked his team to their first ever victory over Ohio State. (None of this is true but ask George Momberg about it the next time you see him in church!)
I'm thrilled to hear about everyone's hard work and fearlessness. I imagine they are all gaining life skills they can use later.
Keep up the great work and special thanks to Lori, Katie and Robert for everything you are doing.
Meg
I am so proud of ALL of you!
I hope Garren will come home with some new insight to share with us regarding dimensia and Alzheimer's. He has a grandparent suffering with each of these afflictions and we are always open to new ways of communicating with my folks.
What a service you are performing for these less-fortunate people. I am sure you will come home even more enriched than those whom you've helped.
Keep the light shining!
Love to all from,
Mama Succi
Wow! You are truly living LPC's vision -- Thinking with Christ's mind, loving with Christ's heart, serving with Christ's hands. All that you are doing will make a difference to those you see and those unseen that you are touching in that community.
Take care and be safe,
Kathy Burns
Sorry it's taken me so long to post - been a busy week! I'm so proud of all of you --- kudos to your fearless leaders Lori, Robert and Katie. It takes special people to try to corral all that middle school energy and put it to such a great use! I am picturing the "capture the flag" fun and remembering our own middle schoolers at home! Thank you for representing Lakewood by your tremendous service to others -- I am so proud of all of you!
Lori Appenfelder