Dollar Day Sale in Dayton

On Labor Day weekend, Erin and I made it to Dayton for a rummage sale sponsored by the St. Deliverance Church of God in Christ. See! Here we are!

Proof!

If you can't tell, that picture was taken from the wrong side of the tracks.

wocka, wocka, wocka

So, ok, I know that you aren't seeing a lot of people in that first picture. You might be thinking, "Boy, must have been a pretty slow event." And, you, Straw Man Reader, would be totally wrong. This event was one of the busiest we've ever been a part of.

Attendance wasn't high, but every single person that came out to buy clothes stopped by the van. All of them. Our contact, the wonderful Laura Myrick, went as far as to call people in the community that needed help and urged them to pay us a visit. And they came out.

Unfortunately, there appear to be some serious holes in the safety net in Dayton. We had a handful of clients with no income who still hadn't signed up for food assistance. They didn't really know how or were resigned to siphoning off of their savings accounts.

Erin and I wouldn't have any of that. We helped the good residents of Dayton fill out 25 different applications. Twenty-five! Between the two of us! You're welcome, Dayton grocers (food assistance), Dayton politicians (voter registration), and Dayton employers (senior employment program)!

And Erin was especially good to the local economy. It was unexpectedly brisk and Erin was wearing summer clothes. Since we were at a rummage sale, she upgraded to jeans.

stimulus!

Huron Food Distribution

Met this little one at the produce distribution in Huron, Ohio where 150 people gathered to receive fresh veggies and fruit to supplement their food budgets. After talking with folks in line, the biggest a-ha moment was sharing the Medicare Extra Help information. Seniors paying a premium for health benefits may be eligible to have it paid for if they are under a certain income and have few liquid assets in the bank. Several people who attended the distribution were either eligible or knew someone who was eligible. We were able to suggest other resources to those who needed housing, clothing as well as utility assistance.

It is always nice to see families receiving fresh, wholesome food grown locally. This was one of six distributions during this harvest.