The Love Project

The town of Veneta does what they call a love project each December.  The schools, postal workers, stores, and clubs all work together to collect food and give boxes to the needy.  This year there were over 200 applications for boxes.  For years they have used an empty store front for the final sorting point and pick-up but the place was rented a few years ago and they had to find a new spot.  Our Bishop offered our chapel and after is was checked for drive-through space, work space and everything else it was accepted.  This is the second year that the chapel has been used. 

One of the first things that our Bishop asked us to do was to stay in the building full time during the week to help with the project and basically oversee the use of the building.  We started Monday morning, had Tuesday off for Zone conference and spent all day Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday on the project.  We are guessing that we sorted approximately 70% of the cans that came in with one other person.  Needless to say we are tired but felt good about the outcome.

First we helped to haul in 260 empty banana boxes and lined one end of the gym.  Then the groceries started coming in.  Some were in bags, some in boxes and some in large collection barrels.  They were all dumped in a mammoth heap that kept growing as we lowered it throughout the week.  Our basic job was to take each can that came in and put it either into a vegetable, fruit, meal or other pile.  Later we  sorted about 40 huge, roughly piled boxes in the "meals" pile and further sorted them.

In the evening other people came in and put some from each of our piles into each of the boxes.

 

When all of the boxes were loaded then they were stacked, ready to be taken to the cars. 

On Thursday night the basketball team was supposed to show up and there was some confusion.  I heard the lady saying she didn't know what she was going to do.  I called the Bishop when we got into the car and he sent out calls and the members came pouring in.  I heard her say the next day, "I didn't know what I was going to do and then more and more people from the LDS Church came and we had it done in no time.  I'm sure that this week has been a very positive PR for the church in many people's eyes.  

 

 

 When they were taken to the car there was also a pound of margarine, a loaf of bread, a frozen chicken, a bag of potatoes and a bag of apples for each family. 

A serpentine path was designed through the parking lot.  First the fire trucks came and loaded up for boxes to deliver to families who could not come and pick up.  Then the train of cars came from 10-2.  It was pouring rain entire time.  Mike stood for about 5 hours in the rain at the exit keeping people from coming in the wrong way. 

Many people, including the Bishop praised us for our many hours of hard work.  We were totally exhausted but it felt good to have something so useful and rewarding to do.