On Thursday, families will be sitting down to fill their bellies with the traditional Thanksgiving meal, including roasted turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, pumpkin pie and many more family favorites. Many of us will become so full that we may even need to lie down and take a nap after our monstrous meals.
However, this will not be the case for everyone. It is sad to think that in a town like Emporia, in the middle of the breadbasket of America, there will be tummies that are grumbling over the long Thanksgiving weekend. There will be children who will not have a satisfying, let alone filling, meal until they arrive back at school on Monday.
These children can not drive themselves to The Salvation Army, Abundant Harvest or other food pantries while their parents or caregivers struggle to make ends meet at home. Instead, they are counted as one of the one in seven Kansas families who come from food-insecure households where food is scarce.
For the last two years The Gazette has worked to educate the community on this issue and has helped to provide “to-go” bags of food to the schools that can be handed out to these hungry children to help feed them over the weekend. We have asked the community to donate food, to provide money to help buy food, and to donate time to fill and deliver bags to the schools.
This year, Rex and Debbie Williams of Williams Automotive have decided to help by generously donating the proceeds from their annual building project fundraiser to Food for Students.
These playhouse and garden sheds are really a story unto themselves. Rex and Debbie Williams along with teams of volunteers like Mike and Sheila Williams and Bill Redecker of Bill Redecker Construction spend nights and weekends building these amazing structures. Sutherlands donates all the materials, and Printing Plus and Groh Printing also donate to the project.
This year they have made a great thing even better. Instead of a simple playhouse, this year’s building structure will be cedar-sided 8 X 10 ft. garden shed, complete with a front porch, Timberline shingles, indoor lightening, insulated windows, work benches, even crown and base molding inside. It has a full garage door in the back to park your lawn mower.
In fact, included with the garden shed will be a lawn mower, along with a trimmer and a variety of other lawn and garden tools, all donated by Waters TrueValue.
In January, a drawing will be held and one lucky winner will get it all. A raffle ticket can be purchased with a suggested donation of $5 at the following businesses: Williams Automotive, Pitt Stop Quick Lube, Sutherland Lumber, Waters True Value, Groh Printing and The Emporia Gazette.
So this year when you sit down to bless your own Thanksgiving dinner, we hope you will remember the Emporia families who aren’t as fortunate. Be a blessing to them by buying a ticket or two and help feed Emporia’s hungriest children.
That in itself is the prize. But who knows? You just might win the shed too.
Chris and Ashley Walker
railroadhorn (anonymous) says...
I'll probably get hammered for this comment but when is enough, enough? I just don't know how many more programs I can support. Reading tornado recovery, United Way, my church, Salvation Army, Emporia Arts Center, Teachers Hall of Fame auction and a boy I know with cancer. Those were my givings for just this month. It seems like nearly every time I open up the Gazette or turn on the radio someone needs help. I picked up one of the Christmas Angels at Walmart and the family wanted clothes, a bike, electronics and toy for one boy - that was just one angel. I just gotta say, the holidays haven't even started and I already feel tapped out! But I'll keep it as best I can....
November 22, 2011 at 7:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
rairlroadhorn,
No hammer here, I understand. Sooner or later others will too. We do what we can, quit begging.
November 22, 2011 at 7:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
Also r.r.horn,
we picked up two angels at walmart today. The 2 year old girl wanted a "PONY". We had a laugh on that one.
She will be disappointed on the pony part, but then, I was too when I was younger.
November 22, 2011 at 7:59 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Malique (anonymous) says...
Why god lets so many suffer is beyond me. The idea that we were "created" to depend on a constant intake of food to survive seems like a design flaw to me. Oh well, keep praying and see if it helps.
November 25, 2011 at 1:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
Someone, pick my Chrismas Angel, " Pretty Please " !
I would like a new house, somewhere other than Emporia and million dollars to live live on for what remaining years I may have left.
November 25, 2011 at 12:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
meth,
I looked at several trees and couldn't find your angel tag. Couldn't afford your requests anyway.
Have you been an angel this year?
Naughty or nice?
Hey that's an idea !
SURVEY TIME !
Everyone post which "rabid dog" poster on these threads they think has been naughty and which one has been nice.
November 26, 2011 at 7:35 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
I would think that these angel requests are just for general info. For one request to be for clothes, a bike, electronics, and toys is a bit much. How about a used bike and some clothes? That seems plenty.
Electronics? Really?
My own children didn't receive new bikes until they were in middle school. Before then, we found used bikes in good condition. Then the first time they received new bikes for Christmas, one was promptly stolen at the Middle School downtown.
Like many of you, I don't mind helping a good cause, but all this asking for stuff is getting out of hand. All we can do is do what we can and nothing more.
November 29, 2011 at 7:20 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
create,
Yes, these requests are just letting us know what the kids want, a letter to Santa, if you will.
It gives us an idea of the kids preferences. Don't have to buy it all, if the child is truly in need ANY present will do.
Like you said, "All we can do is do what we can."
We picked angels the same sex and ages of our grandchildren, because we know what they are asking for and it makes it easier to shop.
November 29, 2011 at 9:07 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )