Bouquet

From Bonnie Pelto, Community Connect Free Store, Iron Mountain:

This is a very generous community.

For the annual Community Connect Event that happened Friday, Nov. 8, we depend on this community’s generosity to provide for our “Free Store” such items as winter clothing; other clothing; personal hygiene items; nonperishable food; small,clean working kitchen appliances; boots; shoes; and more.

And this community stepped up to the plate — more was donated than any previous year. More than 100 people, including seven veterans and four homeless, attended. After each attendee visits each of the 24 area service provider booths, they come in to the “free store” and shop for what they need.

Eight churches — Calvary Lutheran, Grace Methodist/Bethany Lutheran, Immaculate Conception, Cornerstone Church, First Lutheran, Our Saviour’s Lutheran, Redemption Hill and First Covenant — and one private business, Bianco’s Fitness, served as collection sites for this project. Collections began the end of September and ended Nov. 4. To store donated items until the event, a local mini-storage owner donated the use of a storage unit for two months.

Volunteers provided all of the labor — 55 volunteers in all participated to make this project come together. U.S. Special Delivery provided a semi to transport the donated items from storage to deliver them to the YMCA, where the event was held. One volunteer not only worked a full day on her job Thursday, she came and worked to set up the area for the “free store” Thursday night, plus took a personal vacation day to help all day Friday. That’s dedication.

The five sponsors for the Community Connect Event were Dickinson-Iron Community Services Agency, Great Start, Dickinson Area Community Foundation, Calvary Lutheran Church of Quinnesec and Kiwanis of Iron Mountain-Kingsford.

I want to thank this community for their generosity and all of the volunteers that gave of their time and energy to make this such a success. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!