A few months ago I was called as a humanitarian leader in our ward Relief Society. We've had blood drives and collected Socks for homeless shelters. I could see that this could be a real pleasure . I read an article in the Deseret News about "Christmas Jars" and I was so moved that I wanted to do something with the idea. The article was written by Jason F. Wright who also wrote a book by the same name. It told of a family that put all of their change in a glass jar intending it to be their family Christmas. As they drove to town to purchase gifts for the family they came upon a woman in tears sitting on a curb. They stopped to help and their four year old offered the jar to the lady. It was done anonomously, without fanfare and it then became a family tradition. My sister read the book and her response convinced me that I should bring the idea to the attention of my Church Relief Society. They liked it too. I found this silly canning jar stemware idea at my local craft shop and decorated the jar with a bead trim. We will all be collecting our change and finding someone to give it to this next Christmas.
Another project we came up with was collecting Nativities for homeless familie staying at the Open House Ministries in Vancouver. It occurred to me that they might not have a Nativity of their own. I thought that having a little Nativity might make Chirstmas seem a little more special. Since Open House Ministries are faith based, they were very supportive of the project. We collected enough so each family living at the shelter received one. To make it more festive and special, each Nativity was wrapped and delivered by David and Robin Garner and their children and fifteen grandchildren.
Our most recent project is a berevement kit for premature and still births from our local hospital. The kit consists of a sack with and without sleeves, a receiving blanket,and a cap for the child to be buried in. It also includes a small quilt for the parents of the child. I am creating patterns to standardize the items in the kit that can be shared by others who wish to contribute.
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