This is one of the best times of the year. With all that has happened, we have made it through and will continue to. But, there are some who have no place to go for a Thanksgiving meal. Some who won’t have a warm shower or bed to sleep in at night. Some who are doing all they can to make rent and help their kids with online school and wondering how they’ll afford to feed their family. We may not know every story but we have to remember we do not walk in each other’s shoes every day.
We had another amazing event on Wednesday night. We did 1,360 lbs of laundry and all night resources just kept coming to be dropped off. There were 9 volunteers and we served over 21 families with clean laundry, as well as coffee and hot chocolate to warm them up. Thank you, Dutch Bros. You guys are incredible humans!
With so many volunteers, I was able to spend some much needed time with a few of our neighbors to their needs and to their battles in life, at home, on the streets, and within themselves. The things we take for granted in our own lives someone else would take a fraction of just to feel safe, loved and known. We heard stories of recovery from addiction, abuse, prejudice, and fear. People who are usually strong are struggling to stand. People are doubting their worth and feeling lost. On some level, I believe we all can relate to these things and that means we aren’t so very different at the end of the day.
We serve because we see the value in giving to someone else whether it's a conversation or finding a way to bring a smile. We serve because we have learned that what we thought we knew about humankind is very different when faced with catastrophic situations. Too many blows can leave people without support systems and little hope. A spiral begins and soon you don’t even recognize the person you once were. LoveOne is just that...to love one another without judgment, an agenda or expecting anything in return. But, those of us who serve actually end up feeling a huge return in knowing that our time spent is more rewarding every time you see someone broken begin to smile again. LoveOne Molalla is a beautiful picture of hope, love and respect, and I thank you all who volunteer and contribute resources to keep this going.
I will leave you with this comment from a neighbor, “Love One and Sarah and Tom and all the volunteers make the hard times much less hard! Crazy to think clean laundry can have that impact, but these amazing people have brought so much more than clean clothes to mine and several others lives and it has been so uplifting! THANK YOU ALL FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS!!! “