By Jean Blish Siers *
“I don’t think there’s a lane here!” Elise said as she steered the rented van from I-77 onto I-85, leaving Charlotte for Durham, NC, for a couple days of meetings. I assured her that the two lanes extended all the way until we were completely on I-85. “But that truck is coming over!” Elise said. Sure enough, we were well on the way to being squished between a concrete ...
By Jean Blish Siers *
Over the holidays, I found myself seated across the table from a wonderful woman who volunteers each week at her local food pantry. A retired health care worker, she cares deeply about making sure everyone in her community has plenty to eat. I mentioned an agency we work with that provides free health counseling and medical checks for people who live with chronic illnesses (such as heart disease and ...
In 2018, Society of St. Andrew goes into high gear in Indiana! SoSA has gleaned in the state in the past, but now we will make a significantly larger impact on the fresh produce available through food banks and food pantries across the Hoosier State.
In the first year, we expect to glean about one million pounds of produce from Indiana farm fields. All that food will be distributed by area food banks and food pantries to feed the state’s most ...
Continue Reading →By Jean Blish Siers *
Last week in Charlotte, North Carolina, we had a snow day, or actually several snow days. For Charlotte, snow days are big events. Where I grew up in Minnesota, an inch or two of snow did little to slow us down, but here, where snowplows are scarce and there’s not much budget for clearing the roads, the mere threat of snow can shut down the ...
By Jean Blish Siers *
The past few weeks, I’ve been wondering about sweet potatoes in Christmas stockings. When I was a little girl, my mother always put an orange in the toe of our Christmas stocking, but wouldn’t a sweet potato work just as well?
Here’s what got me thinking about it: Just before Christmas, Society of St. Andrew hosted a potato drop at New Friendship Presbyterian Church in Huntersville, North Carolina. The morning of the drop was pretty darned cold. ...
Continue Reading →By Jean Blish Siers *
Almost every year, my church offers a class called Disciple Bible Study. Participants meet anywhere from 24 to 36 weeks and dive deep into the Bible. The class I help lead, the first in the series, covers approximately 80% of the Bible, both Old and New Testament, and for many, it’s the first time they’ve ever actually read the Old Testament. I always volunteer to lead that portion – I love the stories, the history, the ...
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