Jesus Said - Day 6

Matthew 25:40

...verily I say unto you, Insomuch as ye have done it unto

 one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Back in early October, we had a stake humanitarian service day.  We estimate that in the six hours that the project was going on,  almost 300 women came to the church to offer their time and talents in service.  We wanted to have a local service project, a state wide service project and an international project. Can you even imagine all the good that was accomplished? 

We had five projects going on:

1.  A food drive for the local food pantry - Tabitha's Way collecting especially needed food items for those who have food insecurity in our community.  Over 700 pounds of food was gathered and delivered to the pantry the next day.  We were so lucky to have Al Switzler come and speak to our group and talk about the need for food in our very own community and his own experiences of being in need.  Such an awesome man!

2.  Days for Girls - We got involved helping sew kits for girls in need of feminine hygiene supplies in third world countries for our international project.  Many of these girls can't attend school or work or function because they can't leave their homes while they are having their monthly menstrual cycle.  The kits give girls and women reusable pads that can be washed and reused for about three years.  The girls can then find out how to make their own supplies going forward. Check out the link to their web site to learn more.  We made over 120 bags for this project!

3.  Bear, Bears, Bears!  This team of women made 140 stuffed bears to give to local hospitals, emergency crews, shelters, Family Support and Treatment centers, etc.  These cute little bears can be given to boys or girls and are so snuggly and warm.  

4.  Quilts for children in foster care in our community.  We found out about a need for children who are in foster care.  They often don't have much, if anything, of their own.  We made 24 quilts for this organization!  Most were twin size quilts for boys and girls of various ages and there were a few baby size quilts for infants.  A woman in our stake monogrammed all their names on the quilts after they were tied and ready to go.  It was such a fun project!  The quilts came that day ready to tie and many of the women stayed for hours tying quilts and visiting. 

5.  We have thousands of refugees coming into our state.  Most are settling in the Salt Lake valley, but some are coming to our county.  We made contact with a group that distributes household goods to families and individuals who are relocating to Utah.  This became our state project. They are in need of all sorts of household items, so we gathered items for hygiene kids, newborn kits, kitchen kits, cleaning kits, books, toys, bikes, etc.  

The response from the women in our stake was OVERWHELMING!!  Some gave cash which we used to buy needed items, and a lot gave items that were on a list of things that were needed.  Our donations filled two large trailers!  They were sorted, bagged and organized so that they could be easily distributed.  

We served a simple dinner of sub sandwiches and fruit, buffet style so women could grab a bite to eat while they were working. We had committees organized with about three to four women heading up each project.  They were amazing women who offered their time and talents to make this service day a great success.  I'm so grateful to ALL those who made this day possible.  We were the Savior's hands that day, doing unto others as He would do.