Local service on a world level

Michele Marr

It’s a big, big job and the time left to do it is growing short.

“We want to send thousands of stitches of love and warmth to the

needy people of the world,” said Kathy Bellon, president of the

Relief Society of the Huntington Beach North Stake of the Church of

Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Under her direction, scores of the church’s women have set goals

to complete a half-dozen Helping Hands Humanitarian Aid projects as

part of the denomination’s larger annual A Day of Local Service and

Worldwide Humanitarian Aid project.

Since February the women have been tying quilts, knitting cancer

hats, crocheting leper bandages, sewing and collecting items for

newborn layettes and gathering materials for school supply kits.

They hope to have more than 1,000 canvas book bags filled with

paper, pencils, erasers, chalk and a small blackboard; at least 50

cancer hats and leper bandages; 35 quilts and afghans; dozens of

girls’ dresses and sewing supplies as well as 500 infant layette

collections ready by Saturday, Oct. 12, to be packed and sent to the

church’s Humanitarian Center in Salt Lake City. From there the goods

with be sent, along with tons of food, medical supplies, clothing and

educational supplies, to as many as 147 countries around world.

“Right now we have 170 of 500 blankets we need, 390 of 1,000 cloth

diapers, 86 gowns and 177 booties and socks, so you can see much help

is still needed,” said Carolyn Allen, a member of a one of the North

Stake’s congregations.

On Saturday, Sept. 14, the women will meet at the church at 5402

Heil Ave. to make an all-out effort to meet or exceed their

commitments as well as to send some members out to work on local

community projects. The morning will begin at 8 a.m. with juice and

doughnuts. After the light breakfast some of the church’s men, women

and children will go to work on off-site projects. Some will go to

the Orange County Community Development Council Food Bank to box

groceries to be delivered to local distribution agencies. Some will

head to the Huntington Beach Central Library to clean and shelve

books or to the Oak View Branch Library to catalog books that are

being collected for the library. Others will meet at the Bolsa Chica

Wetlands to help remove nonnative ice plant there.

The rest of the project’s volunteers will stay at the church to

sew, knit and crochet and to assemble school supply packages and

newborn layettes. The layette project in particular has attracted

many of this year’s volunteers.

“I found out there are babies being born and sent home in a

newspaper. I was really touched by that. I thought it was a horrible

thing,” said volunteer Linda Gordon.

Anyone who is interested, is welcome to help with the projects on

Sept. 14 or Oct. 12. Donations for the layettes or books can be

brought to the church on Sept. 14 between 8 a.m. and noon.

For more information call Carolyn Allen at (714) 847-3803.

* MICHELE MARR is a freelance writer and graphic designer from

Huntington Beach. She can be reached at [email protected].