"North Vietnam, where our little boxes are going, has been struck
by a horrendous typhoon. These people had precious little before
the disaster, and now what they had is washed away in
floods."
So says Jo Hunter, a resident of Glanara Lakes retirement facility
in Launceston, Tasmania. The eighty-year old, motivated by
compassion, and determined not to rest when there are good works to
be done, spearheaded a Christmas project for the children in the
stricken area.
Seventy per cent of the targeted families live above the snow line,
and Ms Hunter felt their needs more acutely than her own
discomforts.
Jo's hope has been to fill a shipping container with shoe boxes and
send it off in time to arrive by Christmas. She put that hope into
action, and on 8 October, she happily handed 150 completed boxes to
Samaritan's Purse, a world-wide humanitarian agency, for
delivery.
Fifty more boxes are yet under way. Each is tailored to the
needs of a child between the ages of two to fourteen. Each contains
a bear, beanie, ball, scarf, knitted pencil case, eraser, t-shirt,
notebook, toy, stickers, and a small hygiene pack that includes a
toothbrush, under-pants, soap and washer.
In addition, $9 had to be raised for each box to cover shipping
costs.
Jo enlisted members of the Glanara Knitting Club and every capable
knitter in her retirement home to make a range of gifts with
Australian wool. Even visitors who chanced to stop in were
recruited to knit. At least fifty shirt tops were knitted for the
two to four year-olds. Teddy bears, koalas and kittens took their
places in the boxes beside knitted hats and scarves.
"Those who could not knit or shop were generous in their donations
of goods and money," reported Jo. "Our Facility Manager has been
extremely supportive of the Project, and she and the management
have donated heavily to our costs."
Another generous donation came from the Villa Management
committee.
The Young Men and Young Women Organizations of Jo's Latter-day
Saint ward also participated, while Catholic young people in the
community constructed the boxes.
Ms Hunter likens the project to a well-known children's song:
"Give," said the Little Stream, as it hurried down the hill. "I'm
small, I know, but wherever I go, the fields grow greener
still."
Surely, because of Jo Hunter and a long stream of willing helpers,
fields in North Vietnam will seem greener to 200 children.