Our generous community

A Community Outreach volunteers loads a box full of staples for a local family, Thursday morning. -- Photo By: Justin Messner

Hundreds of Nevadans gathered at the National Guard armory in Nevada on Thursday morning. Some were there to give; others to receive. All of them left with smiles.

It was the annual distribution of food and other items for Christmas from Community Outreach, the Teen Angel program and the Vernon County Ambulance District's toy drive.

Vernon County Ambu-lance District director James McKenzie told a civic group at a recent luncheon that last year, the drive had delivered toys to children in more than 500 families, and he expects the need to be as great this year.

The day before the giveaway, the hallways and offices of the VCAD headquarters, Nevada, were filled with hundreds of bags of toys; plus many, many items that could not be bagged. McKenzie said donors were generous; some even constructed numerous hand-made projects for the children. Two local crafters, working separately and with no knowledge the of the other, managed to make items that complemented each others work and contribute to the Vernon County Toy Drive. Jack Bastow and a local woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, made cradles and clothes for dolls that fit well with the cradles.

Dolls in hand-made cradles and wearing hand-made clothing slumber sweetly the day before they went to new homes.

The woman said that she doesn't have grandchildren and, "This is what I do."

Bastow said he had been doing woodworking for many years and had thought of making something to donate to the toy drive but the timing was never right.

"I've thought of doing this about this time of year for several years but it was always too late to do anything," Bastow said. "I hope somebody gets some fun from them."

Bastow said that this year he thought of making something early enough that he could get the project accomplished in time for the toy drive.

He made a total of 11 cradles for the event.

"It may be a strange number, but I made two batches of five and I had a prototype," Bastow said.

Bastow said it was tough to decide exactly what to make, so he looked at a pattern book for ideas.

"I look at a lot of books. I can look at a pattern and pretty much go from there," Bastow said. "I've made a lot of things over the years. I've fooled with woodworking for a lot of years. I started out with a coping saw and orange crates."

The cradles aren't the only thing Bastow is making for Christmas.

"I'm making some things now for some people," Bastow said, but didn't go into what he's making and for whom.

The cradles, and hundreds of other toys were transported to the armory to be given away along with the food and personal items also distributed on Thursday.

These efforts are just two of many holiday efforts that bring the spirit of giving to the community.

There's also the Teen Angel program, plus angel trees at Wal-Mart and at Medicalodges for a variety of age groups. A Salvation Army shopping event also provides gifts for those who might otherwise have none, and other drives and activities in the community provide such things as blankets, coats, mittens and more.