First Plymouth "LOFTS" into Community Service

First Plymouth's first LOFT (Living Our Faith Together) project was a resounding success on Sunday. LOFT is a new mission focus for our church, and it involves a community outreach project on the second Sunday of each month. Watch for more information each month on this chance for everyone to participate in helping out in the larger community.

Beautiful fall weather made for a perfect "Got Dreams" Thanksgiving food drive at the University & Dry Creek King Soopers today. Thanks to Heather Greenwood's tremendous organizing efforts, the dedication of so many First Plymouth volunteers, the cooperation of King Soopers, and the generous and caring spirit of so many of our neighbors shopping at King Soopers, we were able to collect a grand total of:

310 cans of cranberry sauce

324 boxes/bags of stuffing
956 cans of vegetables
362 gravy packets/cans
114 bags of cookies
81 boxes of crackers
118 aluminum roaster pans
81 $15 King Soopers gift cards (total: $1,215)
$130 in additional King Soopers cards
25 cans of miscellaneous items (yams, etc.)

It was exactly as Jay (the founder of Got Dreams) had told us it would be: it started out a little bit calm, and then rapidly picked up speed. And we could never judge by outward appearances what sort of response we'd get to our requests for donations: a pinched-looking old man you'd think would be a skinflint would end up being extremely generous. A couple of gen-X'ers who looked like they didn't have much money to spare would contribute practically a whole meal. There's a powerful lesson there.

What was perhaps the most inspirational of many inspiring things was seeing our children volunteering in so many ways: counting food items, filling boxes, and handing out fliers.

It was a deeply moving and inspirational day - and just a lot of FUN! - and we're so thankful to Heather, Troy, and the rest of the volunteers who've made LOFT a reality.