Some of the ladies behind the shepherd's Closet. Laura Whiteleather,
on the far right, is the director. Phyllis Kline is on the left.
Shepherd's Closet
The Shepherd's Closet, a clothing ministry of Good Shepherd UB, held its 12th annual clothing give-away. This is a year-round ministry, but November and December
are by far the busiest months. During the give-away, each "shopper" receives a grocery sack filled with clothing, shoes, toys, and gifts items--all
free. A total of 182 bags were given out this year, along with 45 coats. Altogether,
221 people were served.
This year's edition featured something new: a "children's shop,"
made possible by generous donations of brand new gift items. Children could pick
out a gift for mom, dad, or a significant person in their life. The gifts were
then wrapped and labeled, all free of charge. Laura Whiteleather, a Good Shepherd
member and directorof the Shepherd's Closet, says, "We were overwhelmed at
the turnout for this shopping area, but there were plenty of gifts for all. Over
100 items were wrapped and labeled. What a wonderful opportunity to be able to
offer a child the gift of giving."
The giveaway lasted three days. Laura was joined by a staff of several other
ladies.
One of the volunteers gave a dollar bill to a four-year-old boy. Laura says, "We watched as he held the bill up with two hands and walked around, not
taking his eyes off the dollar bill. This went on for several minutes. Finally,
as if deciding what to do with such a prize, he came over to our checkout desk.
With a big smile on his face, he stuffed the bill into the jar for food pantry
donations. He then turned and ran back to find mommy. What a precious lesson to
us all!"
She continues, "Another time, a woman told us how cold she was, especially
her feet. She wore an old pair of sneakers on, and they looked wet. We asked her
shoe size, and we just happened to have her size in a pair of good shoes. She
came in the next day, just to show us she was wearing her 'new' shoes and that
her feet were warm!"
Generous donations throughout the year from the Good Shepherd church and the
community keep the Shepherd's Closet well-stocked and enable the Christmas give-away
to be a success.
|
