This has felt like a Saturday to me. Not sure why but every time I opened my iPad and it tells me it is Friday I do a double take. Now that the day is over, maybe it will remain in my brain that it is Friday. Not sure why my brain is a day ahead of myself.
Took a box of donated goods that Love in Action can’t use to the Chase County Food Pantry today. Good to have one box out of my way. We used a few things that were in the box but most of it were things we couldn’t use. Grateful I didn’t have to throw them away and the Food Pantry would take them and see if anyone can use them.
Four ladies showed up at 2:00 so we could go to the laundromat and do another work day. All that have shown up so far have been so excited and eager to help. We loaded up what needed to be taken to the laundromat and headed that way.
We washed a huge load of socks, the leggings and some t-Shirts and more sweat shirts today. They matched the socks from yesterday that didn’t get dry enough then. I took the things for them to bag a pad of paper, a pencil, a charging cord and a business card together in a baggie. That little project is all taken care of.
When the clothes were washed and dried they got everything folded. Over the last two days we must have washed over 300 pair of socks and we didn’t come out with an odd sock. That is pretty amazing.
They helped bring everything back to the house and then our day was done. I feel like I have made lots of new friends as a result of the work days. Everyone comes with willing hands and a smile on their face and leave the same way. They energize me with their contagious, positive energy.
Tomorrow a group from Newton is coming to drop off some sweat shirts and sweat pants. Luckily they also washed and folded them.
Sunday is the day we are putting together the Trick or Treat bags as well as a couple of other little projects that need done.
I am one tired puppy again tonight. These work days feel like work to me although it is fun to watch the people that come enjoy and converse with each other. All have asked lots of questions about the Detention Center and what we are allowed to do. The main point of the work days is to give people a chance to feel some ownership of the program. I think it is accomplishing that mission. It is also getting lots of things ready for the Go bags.
If we have to do another round of Go Bags I have learned a lot about this round and know what I need to do differently next time. I can’t have my house this cluttered again. It is really effecting Kathy and myself. Neither of us like clutter.
Hoping the storage situation gets resolved and I will have a place to move the totes to. I will space out the ordering of things so I only deal with a few boxes at a time. Do what I need to do with them to get them ready, and then take them to the storage place.
Still need to figure out how to get people boxes of things to wash up at home without having laundry days. It would have cost several hundred dollars if I had paid to take everything to the laundromat to wash up. But I don’t think I can do 100 loads a month washing everything up myself again. I have some time to figure this part out.
The work days are a value needed thing to continue too. Hoping with the new space we will have more room to work in and they will be easier to manage. I have a better idea of how long it takes to do things now and can plan better accordingly. This go round has been one big lesson for me.
I will burn out if I try to do it the same way that I did this time again. I am grateful I have a long vacation coming up and can step away for a bit. I will come home refreshed and ready to go again if we need to put together another 100 bags quickly.
I need to reorganize the house for the work day Sunday. I have 12 volunteers coming so we will be crowded. I think I have it planned in my head how it can work. Now I need to move totes to create the space so I can make that happen.
Got the pictures posted from the ribbon cutting ceremony. They got some good pictures of all of the equipment. I am grateful that project is completely finished at long last. We started it last March.
Three more work days and this project will be completed. Then comes the job of taking them up to the Center one by one to get them where they need to go. It will be interesting to see how that plays out and what the demand for them will be. Maybe it is a good thing I don’t know the answer to that. It is a bit daunting to think we may need at least 100 bags a month. One step at a time, if we do I will deal with that then.
Grateful for helping hearts and hands today, grateful we are halfway done with work days, and grateful I get a day off tomorrow.