LINK pre-staged 3,000 toys for distribution at Herndon United Methodist in advance of the pending blizzard. Volunteers then provided toys to approximately 1,000 children by the midnight hour with heavy snows falling.
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Great Blizzard Cannot Stop LINK from Doing the Lord’s Work
Some Volunteers Work until Midnight to Distribute Toys
LINK to Schedule a Second Event on Monday Night from 6 PM to 10 PM
A blizzard of biblical proportions was heading to Northern Virginia the night before the annual LINK Christmas food and toy distribution. The storm was a nor’easter that was working its way up from the Gulf Coast where southern state residents were experiencing vast amounts of rain and sleet; soon to turn into snow.
On Saturday, December 19, 725 families (about 3,500 people) were registered to receive 5-7 days worth of non-perishables and a grocery gift certificate. 1,900 children were gratefully expecting to receive two toys. The annual Saturday event usually takes about 9 hours to complete from start to finish.
On Friday morning, weathermen were forecasting snow for Friday night through Sunday with projections of 10-14 inches throughout Fairfax and Loudoun counties. The LINK Executive Board realized they had to cancel the Saturday event. The logistics of volunteers and guests moving to and from three churches within a two mile radius during heavy snowfall was too great a risk. Grass root records reflected LINK had been hosting this Christmas event since 1985 and never once experienced snow on the day of distribution. Frankly, LINK personnel had absolutely no previous experience in this matter.
LINK Board Members did not want to postpone the event until after Christmas. Some brainstorming and praying took place Friday morning and the following article is about how a group of men and women praising and worshiping God together, with a strong conviction for the Lord, pulled together a small miracle. According to LINK Board Member Betty Eidemiller, “the courage of this indefatigable team of the people from LINK—and our community volunteers—is unbounded.”
Jeremiah 32:27 Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?
By Lisa Lombardozzi
LINK Holiday Basket Project Manager
At 1:00 pm on Friday, Dec. 18th, the decision was made to cancel the Saturday distribution program and move it to Friday night (12/18) and Monday night (12/21). The times would be 6 pm – 10 pm. We had phone numbers for our guests, but no email addresses. Emails were sent to school contacts with the hope that they could somehow get a flyer sent home to their families in time for bus dismissal. A handful of volunteers (including wonderful Joy Trickett) started making phone calls to guests and we changed the answering machines to reflect the new message. Volunteer Coordinator Diana Lawrence quickly sent out emails to all volunteers to determine who could be available in a few short hours (or for Monday). And the prayers began!
How in the world would we reach over 700 families to let them know? Would volunteers show up with just a few hours notice? Would we have everything in place (grocery carts from Ed Foy, sorted food, delivered food, sorted toys, and more)? Well, God showed His awesome power by making it happen. Each church had enough volunteers to staff the event, Ed managed to borrow grocery carts from stores on one of the worst nights possible (major snowstorm predicted and you know what all Washingtonians were doing – stocking up at the grocery stores), and guests started arriving around 6 pm. Those who arrived early were put to work helping with last minute food deliveries and then later received the food they helped carry in!
The early worry about enough toys for children worked out very well – the Motorcycle Unit from the Fairfax County Police Department showed up with their leftover toys. A huge trailer was almost full of bicycles and sorted toys. It brought tears to the eyes of everyone who was there to witness this amazing generosity. When the initial count of toys was taken, there were about 3,000 toys on site at Herndon United Methodist and the decision was made to give 2 toys per child age newborn – 16 years of age.
Potomac Falls HS made a late delivery of over 4,000 pounds of food to Christ the Redeemer and Trinity Presbyterian. Hunters for the Hungry, Blue Ridge Meats, Cavalier Logistics, and the Bane family helped provide 2,000 pounds of beef, lamb, and venison to our guests. The beef was such a wonderful blessing and so many of our families were excited to see it available.
Steaks from Blue Ridge Meats Trucked in by Cavalier Logistics
Judi DeCarme found enough volunteers to deliver food & toys to over 40 families. Kenny Thayer, Bob Ashdown, Dave Patch and a host of other volunteers moved meat, food, and other items around Loudoun and Fairfax throughout the snowy night.
And then there was the concern about our guests getting the message about the new dates & times? Well, their network of friends & family proved amazing. They continued to show up and lines stretched from the food distribution points into the church sanctuaries in order to keep folks out of the cold. At one point, it appeared like a regular Christmas church service was in progress because there were so many families waiting for their turn to get in line and register! Our volunteers worked in the frigid temperatures with snow falling to help guests get food in their cars, they dealt with people who were tired and frustrated because of the long wait, and they never complained. Christ’s love was so alive and transparent in their faces and actions. So many of our guests expressed gratitude for the gifts they received last night.
Church pastors, deacons, priests, and staff worked hard to keep everything progressing. Wet, snowy feet on carpeting and in hallways were handled with compassion.
The last guest left a little after 10:40 pm and traveled to Herndon United Methodist to choose toys. The volunteers and Pastor stayed open well past 11 pm until every guest had a chance to receive toys, despite the late hour and the heavy snow building on the roads. And old reliable Ed Foy was out loading grocery carts back into his truck to take them back to the grocery stores for the weekend.
With the predicted snowstorm proving to be a fact, rather than a prediction – LINK was able to serve 401 families a huge amount of food & toys with just a few hours notice! And, it all happened because of the volunteers who gave up a Friday night to help their neighbors!
Here is the breakdown of what happened last night:
310 pre-registered guests received food & toys (175 at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 135 at Christ the Redeemer Catholic)
43 direct deliveries were made to sick and handicapped guests at home (2 of these will be made when road are open)
48 guests who walked in and received food & toys (25 at TPC, 23 at CTR)
401 total families received food & toys (about 2,000 individuals in four hours).
Please help me spread our gratitude to everyone who had a part in the success of last night’s program by sharing our good news! We will need the same power of volunteers & prayers for Monday, Dec. 21st (6 pm – 10 pm). We still have to serve about 350 families and that does not include walk-ins. If you are able to assist or help out, please let us know. If for some reason, the weather prevents us from being able to stage the event on Monday, we’ll try again on Tuesday night.
If you would like to donate food or toys, contact Lisa Lombardozzi, LisaLombo@signaturecos.com or call 703-973-4444. Also call Lisa Fagan at 571-331-5626 or email fagan6@cox.net. All donations should be received by Saturday, Dec. 21st.
Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, with men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
- Lisa
LINK Member Churches | ||
| Church | Town | Phone Number |
| Christ the Redeemer Catholic | Sterling | 703-430-0811 |
| Community Lutheran | Sterling | 703-430-6006 |
| Dranesville Church of the Brethren | Herndon | 703-430-7872 |
| Herndon United Methodist | Herndon | 703-471-0627 |
| Oak Grove Baptist | Sterling | 703-456-4350 |
| St. Joseph’s Catholic | Herndon | 703-880-4300 |
| St. Matthew’s Episcopal | Sterling | 703-430-2121 |
| St. Timothy’s Episcopal | Herndon | 703-437-3790 |
| Sterling Park Baptist | Sterling | 703-430-2527 |
| Sterling Park Christian | Sterling | 703-437-3612 |
| Sterling United Methodist | Sterling | 703-430-6455 |
| Trinity Presbyterian | Herndon | 703-437-5500 |
LINK Associate Member Churches | ||
| Guilford Fellowship | Sterling | 703-430-6444 |
| Holy Cross Lutheran | Herndon | 703-437-1883 |
| St. Theresa Catholic | Ashburn | 703-729-2287 |
| Potomac Baptist | Potomac Falls | 703-430-2377 |
| Riverside Presbyterian | Sterling | 703-444-3528 |
| St. Veronica Catholic | Chantilly | 703-773-2000 |
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