Dear people-of-Wayne,
In the past few weeks, there has been much discussion about how Wayne VOAD can help provide a Thanksgiving dinner for families-in-need. While this idea may seem simple, it hasn't been easy to implement. Our biggest challenge has been getting the word out to the families so we can estimate how many people, for example, might pick up a Thanksgiving basket. Just trying to communicate with each other has been an overwhelming task. At the same time, many families are either still living in a hotel or have returned to their homes but have no working appliances and are therefore unable to prepare a hot meal. Imagine how you would feel if someone handed you a free frozen turkey but you didn't have an oven to cook it in or a refrigerator to store the leftovers. We take so much for granted, don't we? (Although not as much since the October snowstorm.)
This Thanksgiving, there will be hundreds of people in Wayne who will be unable to join in the Thanksgiving feast but will be too proud to ask for help. Reaching them poses a challenge, but ignoring them is never an acceptable response. We need to find a way as a community to provide food for those who are hungry even if we have to cook it ourselves. Because, if we're not willing to put food on someone else's table, how can we give thanks at our own tables for all the blessings that God has given to us?
There's just one problem - I have no idea how to make that happen. There are so many ideas and questions and uncertainties, and it would be so much easier to do nothing at all than to add one more thing to our busy plate. So I am calling on the people of Wayne to help us pull off another miracle. Tomorrow night (Tuesday, November 15) at 7:00pm, anyone who would like to help us think through how we might be able to provide Thanksgiving baskets and hot meals to families-in-need is invited to come to a planning meeting. The meeting will be held in the fellowship hall at Packanack Community Church, 120 Lake Drive East, Wayne. We need people with ideas, resources and information. We need facilities where we can distribute baskets, and businesses who are willing to donate hot food. We need decision-makers who can put together a plan, and volunteers who can make it all happen. We need PTO and BOE members who can help us get the word out through the schools and register families in advance. And we need elected officials and community leaders who can set an example for others to follow by rolling up their sleeves and pitching in. I have no idea how to make that happen, but I have seen what this town is capable of, and I am confident that we can.
About 10 years ago on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, I received a phone call from a young couple who had been given a free frozen turkey but didn't have an oven to cook it in. So I offered to pick it up at their house and cook it for them. While I was at it, I made mashed potatoes, stuffing and all the traditional fixings. They were thrilled when I delivered it, and I was so happy that I had helped someone have a happy Thanksgiving. I never saw that couple again, but I have never forgotten that meal. It was the best Thanksgiving dinner I've ever had - the one I wasn't able to eat.
If you are willing and able, please come to the Thanksgiving Dinner Planning Meeting tomorrow night at 7:00pm. After the meeting, we will disseminate information about what was decided and what is being done so the entire town has a chance to pitch in and help out. In the meantime, please read the information below about our next VOAD meeting on Thursday, November 17, and the upcoming Red Cross and ICS training events. Thank you for being a part of our community response, and for helping our neighbors-in-need.
Rev. Karyn A. Ratcliffe
Chair, Wayne VOAD
Wayne VOAD Public Meeting
Thursday, November 17
Anthony Wayne Middle School
7:00pm
The general public is invited to the next Wayne VOAD meeting this Thursday, November 17, at 7:00pm. The meeting is being hosted by the Wayne Public Schools and will be held in the Media Room at Anthony Wayne Middle School, 201 Garside Avenue.
During the meeting, we will discuss our plans for Thanksgiving, the Red Cross shelter training course, the Incident Command training course, the VOAD organizational structure, and a holiday musical fundraising event to be held at Willowbrook Mall. Please join us as we continue to find ways to bring our community together and to help our neighbors-in-need.
Incident Command Training Being Offered
November 30 and December 6, 7:00pm
Wayne VOAD is partnering with the Wayne Police Department to offer an Incident Command System (ICS) basic training course. The course, which will help volunteers understand the roles and responsibilities of those who are first responders to an event, will be offered at 7:00pm on 2 different nights - Wednesday, November 30, and Tuesday, December 6. (The location will be announced shortly.) The training will last approximately 1 hour and participants only need to attend on one of the two nights. There is no minimum age, so older youth who are accompanied by an adult and interested in learning about ICS are welcome to join us. To enroll in the course, please email your name and address to WayneVOAD@gmail.com.
Red Cross Shelter Training Being Offered
Monday, November 21, 6:30pm
Wayne VOAD is partnering with the Wayne Health Department to offer a basic Red Cross training course in shelter management. Participants who complete the course will be certified to assist Wayne Township in the event that an emergency shelter needs to be established. The course will be held on Monday, November 21, at 6:30pm in Health Room #2 in the Municipal Building, 475 Valley Road. To enroll in the course, please email your name and address to WayneVOAD@gmail.com.
