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| New to You Shoes. |
Before dawn had a chance to peek her rosy fingers over the horizon, we left for Newton, a two hour drive, to spend the day recycling clothes at the Mennonite Center. Rod and two members of his church have driven to Newton every Wednesday for the last two and a half years to spend a full day volunteering in the four year old program. This morning I tagged along. One recycling activity is sorting donated shoes, which need to be sorted, paired and tied. Certain shoes are allowed; others must be tossed (No winter boots, no flip-flops, no high heels with spikes narrower than a quarter, and no tap shoes.). The entire back end of the recycling center is jam packed with boxes and bags full of mostly well worn shoes but also some purses and belts, both of which are unsalvageable and have to be separated. Also tucked inside many of the boxes is the odd (or not so odd) stuffed animal, and despite their cuteness, they, too, must be separated. In another part of the center, there is a powerful hydraulic baling machine into which clothes are stuffed and then secured with wire into bales weighing around eleven hundred pounds. The clothing is donated regionally, and amazingly, from not more than a forty mile radius. The Mennonites in the surrounding communities operate what they call "Thrift Shops" where they first try to sell recycled clothes (and other household goods). After thirty to sixty days, they forego the attempt to sell the clothes. The clothes are then transported to the center for final recycling. The recycled shoes return about $.65 a pound, and each bundle of clothing is worth about $250.00. Last year the recycling program earned $120,000.00 for the Mennonite Central Committee which uses the funds to support various missions and relief projects world wide. They are on track to surpass that amount this year. Longtime leaders among charitable organizations, the Mennonites have a well-earned reputation for a high percentage of their aid actually reaching those it's intended for. In this particular program, a company out of Baltimore buys the bulk goods. Some of it is re-sorted and re-sold in south Texas, some of it is ground into a mash for insulation, and some is sent overseas to be given away. In any case, another 'intended' consequence is that the earth is spared a little bit. The clothes are not put into landfills, and the clothes are not burned in a waste to energy plant. Part of the Mennonite ethos is to be stewards of the earth. If they can help others and help the planet, then all the better. Today, we filled two 550 lb. boxes full of shoes and we smushed five 1,100 lb. bales of clothes. It was another little bit of service, and another glimpse into the daily life of Rod Franz. We left for home about 4 P.M. and arrived at the Franz home to a freshly prepared curry dinner made by our lovely wives who not only spent the day cooking, but got hair cuts, sang at the old folks home (No, they didn't just sing duets on the porch), and shared special time as sisters do. At the end of the day, we again were thankful that life is good, especially today.
The regular Wednesday recycling crew: Marv Penner, Rod Franz, Stan Bartel, Bob Schroeder.
Bales of clothes: socks, shirts, pants, coats, etc--all smushed into ready to ship bundles.
Bob an Marv loading clothes into the baler. They also load healthy loads of Kansas banter.
I had to read the manual before I could get a spot on the shoe sorting crew.
Dan Stuckey, the back end manager of the center, had to certify my competence.
After some guided training and an open book test, I had mastered the task and was well on my way to independent decision making: a product of excellent coaching. Thanks, Dan/Rod.
Maynard Knepp, the Mennonite Donations Coordinator for the ten central states, runs the whole shebang, and then some. According to the crew, no one could do a better job connecting people in the cause of bettering our world. In the short time I had with him, I was infected by his passion, and I could tell right away why he is such a good fund raiser. I think he could sell beards to the Amish, and not just because he grew up one.
To expand my resume, I was promoted to the baling machine in the afternoon. In short order, they even let me push the start button.
Over fifty barrels of clothes came in just from McPherson, KS today.
I got to help smash most of it.
The girls (Judy, Karen, Janice Reitz) holding the freshly made Naan bread. What a salary after a day of tying shoes and squishing clothes!
The boys (Me, Leland Reitz, Rod) eagerly awaiting the curry buffet line.
Karen with the cauliflower and onions.
My FIRST bowl! Karen and I used Jane's chicken curry recipe which turned out like we remembered. We made four of her chutney toppings too. Lots of kitchen memories.
A gaggle of old folks enjoying a good round of singing. What a day!
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