You have probably seen Gleaning For The World’s 53-foot tractor trailer parked in front of Sam’s Club on Wards Road in Lynchburg during hurricane, tornado, or wildfire seasons when the nonprofit organization is collecting disaster relief supplies for victims of natural disasters.
For many of us, our lives are filled with, and surrounded by, Veterans – spouses, parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, co-workers, neighbors, volunteers. That’s why Gleaning strives to honor our Veterans year-round through our partnership with the local Veterans Affairs hospital and clinic, as well as through our partnership with Veterans groups in central Virginia.
National Teddy Bear Day – September 9th – is a day to celebrate Teddy Bears! Teddy bears, and other stuffed animals – unicorns, dolphins, bunnies, for example, bring joy to children all around the world.
Local Concord-based organization, Gleaning For The World, collects new and gently-used stuffed animals as part of their Teddy Bear Brigade program. Through this program, stuffed animals are given to children whose homes and lives have been turned upside down whenever natural disaster strikes.
We’ve set up a special donation page for #GivingTuesdayNOW. The donations you give towards this special day will be used for the stuff nobody likes to think about – but is necessary to keep an organization running: That’s right… Overhead (electricity, printer paper, phone bills, etc.)
An F-4 tornado hit the rural area of Moss, Mississippi at 190 mph and has been tracked as the widest storm ever recorded in the state, spreading nearly 2 miles wide, and barreling through 91 miles before dissipating. This massive twister left 212 homes in Moss totally destroyed, and 249 with severe damage.
In full transparency, this week we planned to unveil a new resource to our community: a free will-writing tool. Amidst recent events, we considered pulling the launch of this resource, which we were worried would be odd or uncomfortable to share during an international health crisis.
It seems, on many levels, our world has been turned upside down. Many things we had taken for granted are now uncertain. And, our daily routines are no more. That has certainly been the case for me and our Gleaning For The World team. Yet, through it all, we stand firm and committed to making a real and lasting difference in these days of turmoil.
While multiple cities are essentially locked down in China, federal health authorities in the United States are expecting a sustained transmission of the virus and are calling for businesses, schools and communities to brace themselves and plan for potential outbreaks. As one health expert made clear, “The question isn’t if the virus will expand in the US, the question is when…and the disruption to everyday life might be severe.”
Devastating stories of residents still searching for loved ones, stories about the 25 victims, children and adults, who have died as a result of this storm, and the stories of those who have lived through it break my heart. As you can imagine, they’ve just experienced one of the most traumatic events a person can go through.
Normally, we park our big truck in front of Sam’s Club whenever disaster strikes, and we ask for help from the public. We ask our supporters to share love with those in need. That’s why we chose Sam’s Club as our location to give back to as many people as we can this Valentine’s Day.
