“Burdens to Blessings” was a community-wide clothing drive and sharing that was held from October 28 to November 13, 2021, in the Mesquite, NV, area, in conjunction with the Just Serve organization. The purpose was to encourage our neighbors to clean out their closets and provide clothing for any of us as the weather turns colder. Flyers and social media posts were shared with the community. Various religious organizations, the Salvation Army, food banks, community help groups, and school/parent organizations helped share the information.
For two months, clothing and shoes were donated by members of the community and sorted by volunteers from the Mesquite Nevada stake, under the direction of the Stake Relief Society Presidency. We were awed by the amount of clothing shared. Our community shared clothing for children, men, and women, along with coats and blankets.
On Saturday, November 13, volunteers set up tables, added signs, and laid out all of the clothing in the parking lot of the Stake Center so that people could come get what they needed. People came, often in families, and even the weather cooperated. Coats were the most popular item; as soon as they were set out, they were claimed! One fellow was on a scooter; because of seizures he can’t drive. When he found clothing he needed, a volunteer drove him home. He said, “This is one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me.” One mother, an elementary schooler, told us, “He grows so fast! I just bought him jeans for school and they are high-waters already!” Another community member from River Valley Bible Church works with a teen pregnancy center in St. George. He was able to take baby clothes for that program. The clothing left at the end of the project was donated to the Safe Nest program.
We were humbled by the number of cheerful volunteers, including our local missionaries, sisters, young women, and elders from every ward, who worked so hard sorting clothes and were able to keep laughing as bags and bags of clothes kept appearing. We are so grateful for a generous community and the opportunity to help neighbors and make friends.
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THANK YOU to all the community members and organizations who helped make the Burdens to Blessings Clothing Event such as success. We had help from church groups, the Salvation Army, friends, neighbors . . . too many to name! And our caring community help many people. Thank you from the Mesquite Nevada Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Stake Relief Society Presidency - Loretta Asay, Janarah Hollingshead, Whitney Jensen, Shantelle Felshaw
Stake Missionaries
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