Lighthouse Emergency Services shelves are full of toys and supplies for next week’s Christmas Distribution, but Don Moody had one more contribution.
He wheeled into the Independence Township center two wagons he made by hand.
“I started by making them for my grandkids,” said Moody, Independence Township resident. “I buy the nuts and bolts, but everything else is made of recycled materials. I pick up pallets for their wood, made handles from old cookware, bar steel for axles ? it all would have ended up in a landfill.”
Each wagon takes 10-14 hours to complete.
“Two coats of paint ? it’s quite a process,” said Moody, who will also donate four to the Lions Club and two to Toys for Tots.
“The wagons are neat,” said Jenny Hoder, direct services coordinator. “It’s amazing the things people will do to help.”
Lighthouse has 381 famlies signed up for its Christmas program, Dec. 18. Along with 56 seniors, they will help 959 people, Hoder said.
“It’s up by 130 people over last year,” Hoder said. “We were very busy in October, signing people up.”
Volunteers in three shifts will serve families all day long.
“We’ll serve nine families every 15 minutes,” she said. “We have an abundance right now, but it will go fast. More and more new families sign up for services every day.”
Families walk through the gift center, set up at the Knights of Columbus Hall, and, with help of volunteers, select presents, clothing, and stocking stuffers from their wish lists.
“It’s non stop,” Hoder said. “Lot of volunteers help out.”
Need for the food pantry’s services is greater, but community support has also grown, she said.
“Volunteers make blankets, sweaters, buy stuffed animals all year ? everybody contributes what they can,” she said.
Members of the community adopted 110 families in Lighthouse’s Adopt-a-Family program, up from about 100 usually, and all 73 individuals signed up for the center’s Adopt-a-Senior program were adopted out, she said.
The center served 1,322 people in its Thanksgiving food program, also up from last year.
“We were worried, but the community came through with food drives,” Hoder said. “The community came together to meet the need.”
Continuing needs include money for its Good Neighbor fund, she said.
“This is used to help with things not covered by grants such as shoes, uniforms for work, items for the home,” she said.
Call Lighthouse at 248-620-6116.