Granny’s Attic Give-away: Fulfilling the Needs of the Many
By Anna Zenk
Granny's Attic Give-away is an annual service project sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Hurst area. This year, the event took place on Aug. 5 at the Hurst Stake Center in North Richland Hills, Texas. During the annual event, members of the Church donate clothing, shoes, bedding, small appliances and new school supplies and set them up in the church gym. Then, church and community members are able to pick up any donated items free of charge.
A small sampling of some of the clothing items that were donated to Granny’s Attic this year. Photograph courtesy of Susan White.
According to Telolini Kioa, who is the president of the Hurst Stake Relief Society, the Church’s Women’s charitable group, the event continues from year to year because it “helps families that are in great need—allowing families with school age children to get free school supplies and school clothes before school starts. It is a service project that benefits both Church members and communities.”
She goes on to say, “We usually have 20–30 volunteers coming in on different days and times for setup, take down, to man the tables and to keep things clean and organized.”
Susan White, a volunteer and head coordinator for the Granny’s Attic this year said, “I've come to this event many times. It is a great place to donate your kids clothes when they don't fit and a great place to find a fun new top. I've seen plenty of people who really need it.”
At the end of the day, a truckful of ‘extra’ items were donated to Arms of Hope, a not-for-profit Christian care organization that assists children and single-mother families in need.
New school supplies are organized into bundles for people to pick up as needed. Pictured are volunteers Sandy Donner and Head Coordinator Susan White.
Telolini Kioa having fun modeling some of the donations. Photo courtesy of Sepi Davis.
When asked if there was anything in particular that stood out to her this year, President Kioa answered, “We had a few visitors that came by and we wanted to make sure we welcomed them and made them feel they belong.” She added, “We learned some names for people who haven’t been to church in a while…and this could be the beginning of their journey back. Every Granny’s Attic is always an opportunity to get to know and work with people within our stake (area) and I treasure those moments.”
For more events open to the local community, click here.
Anna Zenk serves as the Website Administrator for the Hurst Texas Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She’s a professional graphic designer. During her free time she works on personal design projects, blogs and enjoys bookbinding by hand.