Seymour, IA

March 15th, the Seymour Horizon Committee hosted a Community Share Day at the local Legion Building. It was advertised as a Share What You Wear, seeking donations from the community of clothing, baby items, small appliances and
household items. Anyone could bring goods to the legion, we
had set times and days during that week, and had volunteers there to collect and sort the goods. This event served to the good of every economic level, all ages, with no money being exchanged for the entire event.
The Horizon group sponsored a Community Breakfast, which we served as free, and a way for those in the community to come together and socialize.
Local and County agencies set up tables for Community Awareness of services available in our area, including Public Health, the local Care Center, Family Resource Centers and related agencies through their center, and Safe Coalition.
They also passed our free gifts, and information.
The Horizon Committee also had a set-up encouraging the local residents to sign up for programs and committees that we are promoting, such as Adopt a Street program to pick up trash,
Park Clean-up, Community Garden for a resource for local garden produce, clean up old houses and buildings on vacated properties, and clean up of old junk vehicles at local properties.
We had lots of donations of clothes and had a great attendance, and lots of local residents were able to shop for free, and found items that would work for their families.
In some ways , it also served in a small way as a community clean-up, as some people may have brought items that they would not have had a place to dispose of it, or would not have taken the iniative to gather items to donate.
And the left over items were taken by a local area resident who is connected with places and organizations who could use them, such as group homes and mission groups, so everything that was donated was put into use by people that could use them,
and it all remained as being donated with no money involved even with the left overs.
We feel the day was a huge success, and plan to make it an
event planned for both late summer or early fall for school clothes, and then early spring for summer wear.
It was a great community effort to bring people together, in working together as well as socializing.