MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK

All shapes and sizes, young and seasoned, what a crew we have!

"Serving the Lord by reaching out to those in need"

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It takes all of us working together to make everything work so smoothly!  Our two youngest helpers are Dane and his cousin Greyson.  They have been putting some cans on the shelves, and carrying some empty boxes.  They've had a little snack, and now are "on break".  The almost empty pallet of onions seems to be the perfect place to drive their mini cars!  Susan, Dane's momma, has been volunteering for years even before Dane came along, and Dane has joined our family even when he was a tiny baby!  Start em young!  We're helping to train our future volunteers!

At first I didn't understand the message I got....a granddaughter wanted to have a booth at the Antrim County Fair, adopting unwanted stuffed animals to raise funds for the local shelter, adopting real unwanted pets.  Then the light bulb went on and all of the sudden I got it!  I said YES!  We always have a surplus of stuffed animals, and we were happy to share!  So the very excited young lady couldn't wait to come in and get her treasures!  10 year old Kylie and her grandma were making blankets for each of the animals, and "adoption " papers.  What a sweet idea!

With an uptick in the economy our numbers in our pantry has gone down some.  More folks are working.  Many of the jobs are seasonal, and often the pay isn't enough to pay the bills, but folks are trying.  The population we serve that is growing is our senior population.   The small amount of increase some saw in their checks didn't meet the cost of inflation.  Some of our seniors have had their Bridge card reduced.  According to national statistics 1 in 7 of seniors live in poverty.  Surely not something i'd like to have for my parents!  The older folks are a tough bunch, and its hard to ask for help.  We see seniors that are scared, and don't know what to do.  They skip meals to pay for meds or for heat.  We have a special concern for our older friends.

Being here at the Good Samaritan, being the captain of His ship has been quite a ride!  I have been so blessed to be surrounded by the folks I work with and over 100 volunteers that have served God so faithfully!  Every day here is an adventure, we never know who will come through the door, or what they will bring to our day.  I am retiring.  I have kids and grandkids scattered round the country, and I want to go and be "Grandma".  I have such a mixture of feelings as I write my last weekly blurb.  I'm excited, and nervous, scared, and happy.  I know this place, and the families we serve will be well cared for by Bec, and Katie, and Dave, and our wonderful volunteers. I'll miss sharing with you...but stay tuned!  You'll still be getting a peek in our week!!

I have been thinking a lot about change and  this verse came to my mind! Things in our world are always changing, but what a major relief to know without a shadow of a doubt that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow! Would you pray for us that we can consistently share this with the families that we serve?

We can hardly wait! Tuesday Moms & tots Center is hosting a Healthy Eating Class put on by our friends at the Health Department of Northwest Michigan. There will be opportunities for our parents to watch, learn and taste healthy, kid-approved recipes. It's happening from 11 am - 1 pm. All you need to do is drop in! Who doesn't want to have food ideas for your kids that are good for them and that they like? Stay tuned for pictures next week!

We are so thankful for the organizations in our community that we get to partner with! On July 31 the Health Department of Northwest Michigan is bringing NEW (Nutritional Educational Workshop) to the Moms & Tots Center! The focus will be helping our moms learn about, test and talk about healthy, kid-approved recipes! What a great resource! Nutritional AND kid-approved? Now that is a win! For more information or to sign up, call 231.588.2200.

The first Golf Fore Fathers Golf Outing was so much fun!   The event held at Antrim Dells helped us to raise funds for our men's ministry program, His House!  The added bonus is that we met so many nice people and made new friends!  Maybe you'd like to join us next year??  This picture is of the winning team "The Brothers"  They have bragging rights and a trophy to show they're the best, for this year at least!  Will they be able to defend their title?

The Elk Rotary Club met this week at His House.  The members of the club were excited to see the finished building and have special interest in Poppa's Workshop. One of the member of the club donated a whole workshop full of tools and equipment.  Several of the members helped transport the tools and set up the workshop.   It was fun to be able to show folks around answer questions!  what a great group of people!Hey God! Thank you for the many blessing You have graced me with!  You've always been there to make sure we had food to feed the families You send to us, and the means to care for them.  While You know we could use more volunteers to lighten the load, You've always made sure we have enough.  Sometimes the days are rough, and we grow weary, but You always give us the strength and grace to get through the day!  Thanks for showering us with kind people, humor, and chocolate.  You are an awesome God, and it is such a pleasure to serve Your people!  Thanks God for loving us always.  Love, me

Serving our neighbors for 28 years!