So, I have to admit that I was a little negative when I wrote this article. I was watching my husband work so hard on a ward service project, when he already has so much demanding his time in other areas of his life like work, family, and his calling. But, now that the day of service is over, I thought I would write about a great event, that helped lots of people!
The goal of the service project was to first, get the neighborhood involved, not just the ward, and second, to get as many donations of food for the Utah Food bank, and hygiene kits for another charity as possible. My husband estimated to the food bank that we could possibly gather 100 lbs. of food for them. We really didn’t know what to expect. He had no one commit to being there the day of to help him. As far as he knew, he was the only one that was going to be at the designated donation spot and be “in charge”. And, to make matters worse, the forecast looked bleak. Two to four inches of snow were expected on the morning set aside for the collection. He had spent countless hours hanging posters, and passing out fliers in the neighborhood, and then the day of the project, a snow storm came through.
He headed over first, and I took my time getting the kids bundled up to head out in the snowy weather. When I got there, I saw two tents bustling with activity despite the snow, and many ward members and neighbors standing around helping my husband. It made me so happy. At the final hour, people do come through and do what they can to help! While most of the helpers were ward members, we had a good turn out of people in the neighborhood too. Many of them commented on how nice it was to get to meet some of their neighbors!
All in all, it was a huge success. We were able to collect 482 lbs. of food for the food bank, and several boxes of hygiene items like toothbrushes, soap, and washcloths for the other charity we were helping. In addition, a local grocery store matched what was donated up to $250! So, my husband was able to go buy even more food for the food bank!! It was a huge success. The grocery store said they would even like to participate again next year.
I have been humbled by the generosity of those around us. I will not doubt again.
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