Gratitude from Broad Channel and Breezy Point NY

Well the blankets and beanies all made it safe and sound to New York and are starting to bring some warmth goodness to everyone in the most devastated areas effected by Sandy.  The following is an email I received today from our friend and organizer in Broad Channel, NY.  He has welcomed our blankets and beanies and is overseeing the distribution.  

(It's a bit blurry - but this is at the community center in Broad Channel)

Hi Liz
Just a quick update ,
2 pallets of the blankets went to the Roxbury volunteer fire department in Breezy Point for distribution where 83 homes were burnt to the ground the night of the storm.
The remainder are being distributed throughout Broad Channel. The people are truly grateful and appreciate the talent , time and effort that was put into making each blanket and hat.  along with the monumental task of packaging and shipping the boxes. I myself want to thank you and want you to know you have 1254 new Friends in Broad Channel

Gerry


So thanks to all of you - you ALL now have 1254 new friends in New York.  If any of you are ever out that direction, please be sure to stop and say hi and let them know that you were part of this fun project!! I'm sure they would love to meet you!!

Christmas in January!

The Blankets and Beanies are finally on their way!!

First my apologies to all! I was really hoping to get these out before Christmas, but just had a heck of a time finding someone to ship them for us. Thanks to everyone who was asking and looking for me as well.  

THEN this past week the angel's started appearing! 
First one company who said they would give us a good deal shipping them for us, and a good friend saying she would help cover the cost. THEN another angel Nanci Wudell, called me and said - Just bring them all to us and we will ship them for you!! Nanci and her husband own a company called Nanci's Frozen treats. They have the yummiest frozen yogurt in town! Sooo.....

Thursday morning Steve and I boxed everything up - loaded them up and delivered them to Nanci's. I received an email that afternoon that they were on their way.  Thanks Nanci and family!!!

I also want to share with you where the majority of the blankets and beanies are headed.  We have a great contact Gerry who lives in Broad Channel, NY. Gerry has been wonderful and is anxious to get all 43 of our boxes!  Here are some photos of Broad Channel.

Broad Channel we are super excited for you to get all the warmth associated with each blanket, beanie and scarf headed your way.

You can all go to Broad Channel FB page and see what it was like after Sandy hit, along with some updates on what is happening now in their community. You can also go to Broad Channel Civic to see the progress.

Thanks Gerry for helping us get these to wonderful people on your side of the country. We will be excited to see more pics as you share our blankets and beanies, and hope it makes for a warmer winter!


Just a few quick thoughts! 
As I stood putting all of the blankets and beanies in boxes on Thurs. morning I have to admit, I was a bit sad to see them go :) I know so selfish! But to have all of those blankets piled high in my dining room for those few short weeks, seemed to bring an added warmth to my home! It reminded me daily of great people! It reminded me that all of you care about each other. You care not only about the physical well-being of others, but also about their mental and spiritual well-being.  Thanks to all of you - I felt your warmth and your concern and your love, for people you have never met.  That to me speaks volumes about who you are.   

Thank you everyone - for your sacrifice and time and money and love - it is all boxed up and headed to people that -  like I did - will feel your warmth and love!!  Christmas in January - I think we should start a new trend!! :)

Love to you all ~ Liz

Happy New Year!

I hope all had a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!! 

Just a quick update - on our blankets and beanies.  

Total numbers:

      Blankets - 1000 (or there about)

      Beanies (hats) - 680 (or there about including over 35 scarves)

Woo Hoo!!! Yippee!! Amazing!!

Distribution: Our hopes in solidifying transportation of our items to the east coast has taken much longer than we anticipated! We did get over 200 of them sent to New Jersey, and the rest we continue to work on getting them out there!  We thought we had it a pretty solid shipping company to donate their services to us, but with the holidays and busy lives that didn't work out quite as quickly as we had hoped. BUT - no worries. We have total faith that we will get them out to the East within the next couple of weeks and delivered to the Sandy families. Our contacts are anxious and waiting for the deliveries and assured me that there are plenty of families that will gratefully accept all the warmth and comfort sent their way!!

Thanks again to all who donated and spent time and money and sharing.  It is a glorious site to see so many blankets and hats and to know there are so many great people out there always willing to share and give!!

I will post pictures and updates as soon as I can get everything delivered.

We wish you all a wonderful happy 2013, and hope you continue to share your warmth with all those around you!!

Happy New Year!! 

PS ~ if anyone has any first hand contacts with shipping companies that would be willing to donate shipping for us, please let me know! 

Still collecting!

So many blankets and beanies brought by today - 

THANK YOU 

- if you still have some to bring, it's not too late! We will be accepting them through Tuesday the 18th.  

On Monday I will do an update on numbers!!

You all inspire me!!

I have lots of people telling me thanks for doing this - but just so you know - it is purely selfish!!

I do it because it gives me opportunity to meet great people like you! I do it because you inspire me! I do it because I know how it feels to serve and I want to feel that more! I do it because I want to surround myself with goodness and good people - and that is what you all do for me! I do it because then I get to associate with the greatest people on earth - those that want to lift others!

Thank you everyone for indulging my selfishness!! You inspire me!!

Blankets today from - small families, big families, activity day girls, Young Women groups, older ladies that spent countless hours crocheting, and knitting and tying and sewing.  One person bringing over one blanket or 3 beanies, and 2-3 people bringing 20-30 blankets.  We have tiny baby blankets, and big fuzzy warm blankets and everything in-between.  AND baby beanies and Dad beanies, cute beanies and warm fuzzy beanies and beanies for every kid size out there!  

My heart continues to grow and I hope that yours does as well!! It is a good thing :)

12 bags of blankets!

12 bags of blankets came today! It's a glorious site!  Thank you everyone who delivered bags today. Blankets and Beanies getting rolled, ribboned and counted tonight! You are all fabulous!!!

FYI - If you are planning on delivering to our Utah address they are heading down to Arizona on Friday with all of the blankets they gathered. So make sure you get those delivered tomorrow.  IF that is going to be a problem be sure to let us know. THANKS!
  

Santa himself . . . .

Today it was as if Santa himself pulled up in his mini-van, carting 3 darling girls in their dance outfits, and 2 huge bags full of blankets, hats, and scarves, 86 in all.  Of course it wasn't a jolly old round man with a red nose, but a cute Tiffani Wright a petite Mom, with bags almost bigger than herself stuffed in the back of that van. I'm sure, for a few fun moments, she probably felt a bit like Santa as she handed over those gifts today.  
Tiffani reported that a group of women where she lives in Maricopa, AZ, who usually get together at Christmas time to exchange gifts, decided this year instead to all bring blankets, hats and scarves to send to those who are in much more need of gifts this year than themselves.  Thanks Tiffani and all those wonderful women who caught the Christmas spirit and understand that its much more fun to give than to receive.

The project is moving onward and upward -  our current totals - 278 Blankets, 297 Beanies/Hats, and 24 scarves, with a grand total of 815, not including the 20-30 that have already arrived in New Jersey. 
For the purpose of making things a little easier and saving a bit of money on shipping, we decided to ship everything at once instead of in two shipments.  We will be shipping probably the 17th or 18th of Dec. so keep 'em coming!!!

If anyone has relatives in NY or NJ that would like to help distribute, we would love to have them join in. Please contact me and we will get it all set up for them to help!

It's finally getting cold here in AZ. (lol) we might even dip all the way down to 37 tonight.  Just kind of hard to imagine from our warm point of view the 1000's who are still living in shelters in freezing conditions.  Thanks everyone for sending both comfort and warmth their direction!  Wish we could send a little bit of this warm Arizona sun!

Hope everyone is having fun getting ready for Christmas - it is such a fun time of year!

"The real joy of Christmas is found from making the Savior Jesus Christ the focus of the season. We can keep Him in our thoughts and in our lives as we go about the work He would have us perform here on earth."

Thomas S. Monson