My People

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about an LDS ward which volunteers at a shelter I work with. http://forum.staylds.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=7926” class=”bbcode_url”>http://forum.staylds.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=7926

Last night a family from that group hosted a donation drive for the shelter. It is the first time anything like it has happened. We get community donations. Boxes set out for customers to leave a jar or bag of something in it. Those are so helpful. We have groups that do specific drives for coats, hats, socks and underwear.Also so necessary. This was something else.

The family is large in number, multiple generations. The first Sunday of the month they have a joint FHE, to plan something etc. The last couple have been this drive. They set up a Facebook group, sent it to everyone they knew, then published a list of needs from the shelter. Then they set up a drive through donation site for one night. Complete with Christmas music, hot cocoa, parking lot directors, those big sky/strobe light things. Afterwards they brought in the donation haul, helped put it away or set in storage for future use, and took items for our co-shelter in their cars to drop off today. And they are coming back next month to repeat.

Our team was nervous about the event. The church that houses the shelter is crowded with events and stuff right now. The sense of concern was palpable. As the goods came in, the shelter leaders could be heard saying, “Are those cleaning wipes” They were. Suddenly she was asking the teenagers to grab all those wipes and follow her. The next person came down, “Are those potato chips and snack crackers.” She was thrilled. Two women who help run the kitchen (we divide it between Shelter and Church) were not comfortable when we first starting stacking boxes in the kitchen. Pretty soon though, they would ask, “Can we put these Mac and Cheese’s in our pantry for the poor?” Sure. They began squarndering stuff to that cupboard.

As I stood back watching it i got choked up. Any group would have choked me up. The generosity is tremendous. But last night – these were My People. My tribe. It wasn’t a church assignment. No callings were extended. There will be no reporting at Stake Meetings on it. The family attends multiple different wards and stakes in the area. You won’t read about it in the Deseret News. But there they were. The shelter leadership asked questions about their motive and to listen to them say “We just want to help” made me cry all the way home.

My people are great people.