We’re Heading Out to Joplin Tomorrow With a Full Trailer (& a Full Heart!)

Just take a look at what you all have done!!! I am so proud to be associated with such amazingly generous people! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Here are a few more shots of the (filled to capacity) storage room, where I had been keeping all the donations. Thank you to Congregation BIAV for their amazing hospitality of this little idea of mine!

Here are the $2,240 worth of Walmart gift cards we have collected. Is that not incredible?! Just looking at these pictures makes me want to start chanting, “Yes, we can!”

A lovely group of volunteers met me on Friday afternoon to help box up all the donated items. (Thank you Baruch, Michal, Tovah, Tamara, Rivka, Ezra and my son Matan.) We sorted, boxed and labeled everything. It was a LOT of hot and sweaty work, but it’s done and ready to load into the U-Haul trailer.

Since so many of you responded so generously to my call for help with the truck the other day (THANK YOU), I wanted to give you a quick update. Our good friends (Thank you, Katie and Chaim) are loaning us their passenger van, which has a hitch. Renting a 6×8 trailer costs less than $40 with insurance, which is FAR more frugal than a small truck – and just as much space. Plus this way, all four of us (we’re leaving the baby with my parents, since it’s too long of a day for a two-year old) can ride together.

First thing tomorrow morning, my husband is heading to UHaul to pick up the trailer and then we will load all these boxes and head out on Highway 71 – straight for United Hebrew Congregation in Joplin. I’ll try to update via Facebook from the road – and I’m sure I’ll have oodles more pictures and stories to share with you on Monday morning when we return.

Once again, thank you all so much for supporting Yesh Tikvah and for displaying such inspiring generosity.

If ever there was a case of mitzvah goreret mitzvah (very loosely translated as one good deed leads to another), this has definitely been it! Well done, BIAV, Beth Shalom, B’nei Jehudah, Anshe Emet – and of course, all of my amazing KOAB Readers!

xo