IHS Gives Thanks to the Meal Makers

It is really a good feeling to know that full-day meal packets for April delivery to the UVA Medical Center Social Work food program is almost complete. Each month is an individual challenge, but so much of the food program load is now being balanced due to the enthusiastic participation of several scout, church and neighborhood groups. A big THANK YOU to the following participants ....

Cub Scout Pack 183 and Boy Scout Troop 3 in Louisa:

Teamed up for a tremendously productive Meal Packet Service Project. Their joint efforts provided 136 completed full-day packets, plus a large collection of assorted items.

Some key players in this project, and on-going scout activities, were Jim Snider, Pack 183 Cub Master; Harry Quarles, Troop 3 Scout Master; Karen Sewell, Pack 183 Committee Chair; and Wolf Den Assistant Brad Baber. The Food Lion at Lake Anna also donated to the project in order to purchase extra items to complete this large donation.

Tina Schweikart, Wolf Cub Leader and her son Connor (pictured to the right), a wolf, delivered their bounty to IHS Founding Member T. Wade Clegg III on March 27th. The photo shows Rev. Clegg and Cub Scout Connor Schweikart transferring boxes into vehicles.

Cub Scout Pack 206:

Under the guidance of Robin Kaczka, added to the March meal packet collection. Robin said, "We charged an entry fee to our Blue and Gold Banquet which was a food donation item. Each den was assigned a portion of the meal packet."

Cub Scout Pack 206 meets at Hollymead Elementary School and their Charter Organization is the Hollymead Parent Teacher Organization. They have 50 registered scouts from 1st grade through 5th grade. For more information the Pack 206 website is www.cubpack206.org.

Thanks to Sue Hietanen of Charlottesville, whose son is long grown and graduated from Boy Scouting, but she and her husband are still volunteers. Sue heard Margaret Gorman's presentation about the IHS Food Packet Program in December and decided to put together food packets on her own. Sue and a friend made 25 full-day meals for pickup this past week to add to the April delivery. She noted that there are so many problems in our world that we cannot solve, but helping out the people served by IHS is something we can do.

For those of you planning on participation and in need of contact, please send your e-mail to info@interfaithhumanitariansanctum.org as first recipient during the first two weeks in April. Margaret Gorman will be on a much deserved vacation with her family until about April 10th.

If you are too far away for making and delivering meal packets, please know that funds are used to supplement meal quotas each month as needed, or used for IHS's continuing need for securing lodging for UVA Medical Center outpatients and caregivers who come from great distances without funds to balance their stay.

And finally...

Last week IHS delivered an infant car seat and baby clothes for a one-year old which had not a stitch of clothes at the hospital or at home and was being released. These are always last minute needs, of course. As this note is being released, we received another call and have scheduled tomorrow a purchase of another infant seat and a stroller for a child from a family which has neither. This is what we do...because of YOU!

Blessings ...T. Wade, Elisheva & Sam