It all started when I recognized that I had hundreds of
wonderful books going to waste sitting on shelves in my house. I knew I should do something with them, but I
could not bear to part with them unless I could believe that someone would get
them who actually WANTED them…would love them, would cherish them as I do.
Here in the Triangle area we are blessed with many groups
who make books available to others. My books would be just among thousands of
others. I could not be sure anyone would REALLY want them. When I talked about
this to my friends, many agreed they had books that needed a new home and began
to contribute them to me. I just needed to find someone who would really want
them.
Sunbright, Tennessee
I emailed my friend Sandy
Spurling in Sunbright (population 550) -a city in Morgan County, Tennessee –situated
on the Cumberland Plateau in the northwestern part of the Appalachians. Sandy immediately said the Morgan Scott Project there would love
to have the books and would ensure they would find good homes.
Morgan Scott Project
planned to give away Christmas gifts on Thursday, December 17 to more than 500
Morgan county children from more than 120 families who otherwise might not have
any Christmas. The books would be a
wonderful part of this giving. Books left after Thursday will go in a lending library or be given to families
throughout the year. This was the
perfect match.
By Thanksgiving my garage was full of boxes and bags of
books. My sister in law, Jeannette, and I spent a
long afternoon sorting them and putting them into boxes to take them to
Tennessee.
On Monday, December 14th , Chick and I drove his
truck…loaded to the brim--bed of truck full, back seat full, hardly room for
our clothes ---the 450 miles west to Sunbright.
We spent the night in a beautiful B&B in the historic town of Rugby
nearby. (There were no restaurants so we
ate sandwiches in the room.)
On Tuesday morning, local volunteers gathered at the hall at
the United Methodist Church of Sunbright to begin setting up toys and gifts for
the Christmas event on Thursday.
We
worked together to unload all the books and put them in order…hardcover books
in one area; paperbacks another…sequenced by author. We had more than 1000 books. It was quite a sight.
Putting them in order by author.
Mission Accomplished !
We then drove home, happy that our books would be welcomed
and useful and thankful for the opportunity to meet the folks in Sunbright and
be a little part of the great work they are doing.
You can see from their facebook page (Morgan Scott Project for Cooperative Christian Concerns) the pictures (below) from the event…showing all the
toys, books, clothes, etc. and some of
the folks receiving the gifts from so many of you. Thank you so much! You helped make Christmas merrier for many
folks!
THANK EACH OF YOU WHO HELPED WITH THIS !!!!!
The Morgan Scott Project for Cooperative
Christian Concerns, serves as a social services agency and a community development
organization for the two adjacent counties.
MSP was organized in 1972 by the United Methodist Church and the United
Church of Christ, and is now a multi-denominational effort—Presbyterian, Roman
Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist and Episcopal.
Their efforts are to provide a “hands-up” instead of
handouts for the residents of this rural area. They support ongoing projects
that include the Good Earth program, supplying more than 200 families each year
with basic garden needs, such as fertilizer, seeds; Food pantry; home repairs;
etc.
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