On Dec 24, 8:54 pm, maxine in ri > wrote:

>
> We had three storms in a week, with the last a dusting that
> prettified
> the mess the other two left. But the last 3 days have been warm, and
> now we have green grass and dirt-covered snow-piles decorating
> the area. Safer for driving, even if the reindeer can't leave their
> cute little
> footprints!<G>
>
> Tomorrow we're serving lunch at the shelter. Who needs food when
> you've got family, roof over your head and clothes on your back?
>
> maxine in ri

What a great way to spend Christmas - too easy to get caught up in the
hoopla and forget how many people are hurting. In our area,
unemployment is high & many folks are "working poor" who barely scrape
by.

The Eugene Mission and Food for Lane County do a heckofajob for folks
in town, but our area is rural, with limited services. Our volunteer
firemen raise funds with a pancake breakfast to run a Christmas
program that helps local families in need during the holidays. We've
participated for the last three years, adopting a family and providing
them with a carload of holiday food and personalized gifts - it's one
of the very best parts of our Christmas. Now that the firemen have
gotten to know us, we were asked to be "Santa's elves" and help with
deliveries - DH actually got to meet our family. Choked up my stoic
old Marine husband pretty good - he could tell it meant the world for
those parents to be able to give their 3 little girls a Christmas.
Nancy T