Harvest of Hope An Alternative Thanksgiving Celebration

30Nov09

Thanksgiving is a time for us to remember our blessings. We sit down for a large and delicious meal with family and friends and give thanks for all that we have. This past weekend community volunteers and VISTAs spent their holiday weekend giving thanks for what they have while helping flood affected families. The Harvest of Hope event, which occurred this past weekend on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving, brought about 50 community volunteers to Cedar Rapids to help the rebuilding process. The event, which was organized by VISTA Casey Westlake was a huge success.
VISTAs who participated in the event brought volunteers to the field to teach them how to hang drywall, finish drywall and muck and gut a house. While others coordinated job sites and documented the event with photos and video. On Friday I worked with a group of VISTA

s who typically work in the office, some in Cedar Rapids and some in Iowa City. This event gave them a rare opportunity to spend some time in the field. The VISTAs I worked with on that day said it gave them an appreciation of our field VISTAs who spend everyday rebuilding houses for residents. So not only was Harvest of Hope a great opportunity for volunteers, but also for some of our VISTAs.
The event brought a large number of volunteers into the city at a time when our volunteer numbers are low. The summer brings in a lot of volunteers since the weather is warmer and many people have the time off, however as the weather gets colder it gets tougher for people to volunteer. Harvest of Hope was the perfect excuse for many volunteers to come rebuild Cedar Rapids.