Helping Hands, Serving Others, Touching Hearts

Transcription

1 Helping Hands, Serving Others, Touching Hearts Catching the vision Many people see suffering in their own communities and throughout the world. They want to do something to help, but don t know what to do. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that A true Latter-day Saint is to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to provide for the widow, to dry up the tear of the orphan, to comfort the afflicted, whether in this Church or in any other or in no church at all, wherever he finds them. The Saints in Alma s day did not send away any who were naked or that were hungry or that were athirst or that were sick therefore they were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no respect to persons as to those who stood in need. (Alma 1:30) Our service to others is viewed by the Savior as if we did it for Him. He said, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me. (Matt. 25:40) Getting started (organizing a regular humanitarian program in your Ward, Stake, or community. Get Priesthood approval and support from your Bishops and Stake Presidency. Have the Priesthood call and set apart a chairman and committee under their direction. It is important that you contact local agencies (care centers, shelters, schools, etc.) to determine need prior to deciding on which projects to make. The Church Humanitarian Center may not be able to use the products submitted unless prior need has been identified. Choose projects that men, women, and children can work on individually and as families. Some suggestions that worked well for our Stake are at the end of this handout. A list of projects and patterns from the Church Humanitarian Center is available at If you want to change patterns or make up your own, please clear them through the Humanitarian Center. They have some very strict guidelines, but they do enjoy creativity and welcome new ideas. Train committee members how to do each project so they can help teach people how to accomplish the projects in a quality way. STRESS quality over quantity! The Humanitarian Center spends precious time getting projects to meet guidelines. Guidelines often change, so keep in contact with the Humanitarian Center for up-dates. If the projects are being made for your own community, check with your community organizations for any specific guidelines or needs they may have. Choose and clear a location and set a time when families could come together. (We chose the 2nd Saturday of each month from 9am to noon. People could come and go as they liked.) Make arrangements for set-up and take-down. This is a big job depending on how many projects you will be working on and how many people you expect.

2 Gathering materials needed for projects. Once you have chosen projects, you will know what materials will be needed! We made a list and then asked people to clean out their closets of any useful items we could use to make these projects. Be ready with a place to COLLECT and STORE the donations. People really open their hearts and are always so willing to share their bounty. Start collecting two to three months in advance so people have time to clean out and deliver to you; and you have time to sort and prepare projects for the actual day. You also will need to commit to some kind of budget with your Priesthood leaders, because you never receive everything you need through donations. There are always miscellaneous items needed to complete each project. Any monies donated to humanitarian on our tithing slips goes straight to Salt Lake City for humanitarian needs and not to your Ward or Stake. The Church does not supply monies for Ward and Stake humanitarian projects. Sometimes they have a very special need that they will help Stakes fund and to find out more about this call (801) Advertise. Since people have been cleaning out closets, this is a good source of advertising. Get the Priesthood involved, announce it over the pulpit if possible, put it in Sunday bulletins and newsletters. Get everyone excited about it, not just the Relief Society. Day of the project There is a copy of our set-up at the end of this handout. We put signs on each table to show what project is where and a finished example of each project, so they know what it is suppose to look like. We showed a Humanitarian Video at the beginning of the first project day to help them feel the spirit of why they were there. It was called, In the Service of your God (Ye have done it unto Me). You can find this video at the distribution center When a project was finished, we had a big cow bell we would ring. It was exciting for everyone to see how much we could accomplish as we all worked together. If your budget permits, you could serve light refreshments and water. Have a checkout paper available at each project table under the supervision of the committee project leader. (Sample at end of handout.) Many people and families get excited about working on a project and would like to finish it at home for Family Home Evening, etc. We encourage this and just have them sign it out and make sure they know WHO to return it to. Have fun! Good Luck and watch your Wards and Stakes grow in love as they come together to serve others.

3 Below are pictures and patterns we created that are not on the Humanitarian Center web site, but have been approved by them. Also included are some projects that worked well for men and children: Men were great with wood toys and blocks--sanding,painting, and varnishing. They were good at quilting, hat looms, cutting, and stuffing. The children were good at stuffing, making picture books, coloring ABC books, and making the yarn blocks. They also did well with the loom hats. And they loved working with the puppets.

4 Yarn Blocks

5 Crochet Baby Bootie Materials: Size G Hook (Could use H or I to make larger booties) 4 ply worsted weight soft yarn (less than 1 oz.) it takes so little yarn!! Start: Chain 26 slipstitch (sl st) in 1 st chain to form a ring Row 1 Chain 3 double crochet (dc) in each stitch around. Join to first dc. Row 2-3 Repeat row 1 Row 4 Fold bootie in half, sl st in first 6 stitches making sure you go through both halves of the bootie (This will form the top of the bootie foot, and eliminate the need to sew together) Chain 2; dc in the same stitch (counts as 1 dc). Dc in the next 15 stitches. Join first dc (this forms the top of the bootie). Row 5: Chain 3 dc in next 15 stitches. Join the first dc. Row 6 (top finish): Chain 3, single crochet (sc) in 3 rd stitch from hook, *Chain 3, sc in next stitch, repeat from*. Finish off. Whipstitch sole of bootie using yarn. Turn right side out. Thread 16 inches of ¼ inch ribbon through top roll of dc. Tie bow. Fasten booties together using safety pin or yarn.

6 Wooden Toy Animals

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12 Tube Sock Doll

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14 Puppets 1 Also see parts patterns

15 Puppets 2 Also see parts patterns

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32 Picture Books & Supplies

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