Donations, volunteers needed for care packages
By Angela Greiner Contributing Writer

(l to r) "Second Saturday" volunteer Rock Griffin and Grace Baptist Church Pastor Ron Cousineau are members of the church's Love in Action group, which organizes community service events so that local residents can make a difference in their community.

Hudson - Members of Grace Baptist Church in Hudson are preparing to host the first "Second Saturday" community service event Saturday Oct. 13 at 8:30 a.m. The community is invited to the church to assemble 200 care packages for the Hudson National Guard members from the 181 Delta Unit, who were deployed to Iraq several months ago.

Candace Poklemba, director of communications for the church, explained that "Second Saturday" is a vehicle for local residents who want to make a diff erence in the community, but don't know how, to get involved. The monthly community service events are designed as a drop-in volunteer program.

The goal of the upcoming service project is to provide the soldiers in Iraq with a piece of home before the holidays.

In order to make this event a success, the church is hoping to recruit 80 volunteers to sort through thousands of donated items and prepare packages that the post office will pick up and send to Iraq.

The church has teamed up with a local holiday packaging team from Southborough, which will help with both the planning process and donating supplies.

The church is collecting the following items for the packages: fruit roll ups, beef jerky, Twizzlers, protein bars of any kind, microwave popcorn, nuts of any kind, Skittles or similar candy, sweetened Kool-Aid (individual packages), Crystal Light (individual packages), sunflower seeds, gum, microwave foods, Ramen noodles, canned soup, air fresheners, crackers (Cheez-Its or Wheatables), instant oatmeal, holiday decorations, razors, combs, toothbrushes, toothpaste, paper, cards, games (Uno, cribbage, playing cards), Q-tips, dental floss, batteries (all kinds), sunscreen, puzzle books, books, tissues (individual packages), deodorant, sports magazines (new or used), baby wipe refills, DVDs/music CDs (new or used) and stamps. Beanie Babies (new or used) and lollipops are great for the soldiers to give local children they encounter.

Poklemba said that the church is still collecting items and that the plan is to get the packages to the soldiers before the holidays. The goal behind sending the packages is to communicate love and gratitude to the soldiers, as well as give them with some of the comforts of home.

The "Second Saturday" event unintentionally began back in August with the church's annual totally free garage sale the second Saturday of August. More than 1,500 members of the community attended the event.

On the second Saturday in September, the church's "Love in Action" ministry sprang into action after representatives from the National Guard Family Readiness Group asked to host a meeting day for the families of the troops who are deployed. The church off ered their facility and sponsored Operation Youth Development Day, providing meals and children's activities including a moon walk and camouflage face painting.

In November, the "Love in Action" team and other volunteers will partner with local organizations like Boy Scouts, the Food Pantry and the Senior Center to both provide fall yard clean-ups for the elderly and collect food bags to provide assistance for the hungry in Hudson and Marlborough.

"We do these events as Christians; we do not do it to recruit people to the church," Poklemba said. "The Second Saturday events are strictly to benefit the community."

Residents are invited to come on their own or with friends and families. For more information about the "Second Saturday" community service events, contact the church at 978-562-8550 or drop by the church, located at 353 River Road.