We woke up to beautiful sunny skies on Saturday morning and knew right away that it was going to be a fabulous day! The night before, we made up 50 individual “Halloween treat” bags filled with mini chocolate bars, lollipops, and candy rockets. We had already purchased two large boxes of chocolate bars and two “50 bags” boxes of chips when our wonderful neighbor and friend Sharon knocked on our door Friday evening to give us another large box of chocolates towards our outreach.
Thank you so much, Sharon, for your thoughtfulness! As usual, we organized and packed up the car with all of our necessary supplies (table, rack, toiletries, etc.) We packed 1 ½ racks worth of clothing, including warm sweaters, hoodies, jackets, etc. We brought a box of footwear, a bag full of socks, some belts, and boxers. We made 60 cups of coffee in the urn and packed milk, cream, and sugar.
We arrived in front of the Salvation Army just after 10:30 AM and right away noticed a larger than usual amount of people gathered. We quickly set up the table with the coffee and Halloween treats. I had decorated two small pumpkins, which we placed on the table for a Halloween vibe.
We filled up the rack with clothing, and immediately there was a flurry of activity as people stared their “shopping”, helping themselves to coffee, and enjoying their chips and chocolate. As the rack was starting to empty, we were approached by a lovely young lady named Tara, who lives nearby and decided to bring us some donations directly during our outreach. Together, Tara and I immediately placed the items onto hangers on the rack, and soon there was hardly any clothing left at all! Thank you so much, Tara, for your generous donation. As you personally witnessed, the clothing is so much appreciated by the fellows and ladies we serve! By 11:45 AM, all of the treats and coffee were gone and it was time to pack up and head back home. We both agreed that we had a perfect outreach day filled with great interactions, smiling faces, many genuine words of thanks, and warm sunny weather. We also reflected on the fact that without all of your donations, it would not have been possible!
We want to thank each and every one of you for any and all donations. Without all of you, we couldn’t do what we do!