The 2009 toy and food distribution has come to its conclusion! It was the best that I've ever been involved in. And the Captains will attest to that!!! They said in all of the 20 plus years they've participated in this program, they've never had anything run so smoothly! Nor had all boxing and organization of the boxes completed prior to the actual distribution date. I give major Kudos to Capt. Martha Sheppard. She is one fabulous worker and actually worked!!!! Unlike previous years, she was involved every step of the way with me and my plan and it made my job a great deal easier. Then there is all of you!

'Thank you' hardly covers what appreciation and gratitude I have for all of you RA's who participated! Sorting, boxing, more sorting and more boxing and then the giveaway was so much easier than ever before. And for those of you I called upon numerous times and you never turned me down, a special 'Thank you'. I am so grateful to have had all of you in my corner!!

We ended up assisting 436 families (106 more than last year.) And we stayed within our Budget!!!!!! A total of 1608 individuals (last year was 1173.) Of those 1608, 894 of them were children. The adopted families program assisted about 76 of those 436 families so the RA's really did more than our share this year. Our last Intake Application Day was Dec. 10 and we took in 103 families that day alone. Approximately 1/3 of these 436 had never asked for assistance before. Many of them were educated, had good paying jobs, but they'd lost them recently due to the Country's economy. Many of their homes had been foreclosed and cars repossessed and they never believed that this could happen to them. And asking for assistance from anyone was really difficult, 'gut wrenching' in a number of cases. This really makes me count my many blessings and be grateful for what I have. The fact that so many of us have a roof over our heads is a particular blessing. I firmly believe this could happen to anyone of us. It certainly made me more grateful for all of what I have.

There are too many of you to name in this column for all of what you gave this year to me and to the Salvation Army (but I wish I could.) You know who you are!! And I am grateful for each and every one of you. Happy New Year to all and Good Health for 2010!!

Lynne F. (aka 'The Commander')

Toy Drive • Choir of Angels
Photo Albums: Cookie Swap • Christmas Party
Legislation - Part IV • Pontiac Progress • Single Stage Paint
Breaking the Law • Salvation Army Distribution • Calendar of Events • News