Senior Citizen Yard Cleanup

On November 20, about 70 volunteers from the Church of God in Middletown participated in a senior citizen yard cleanup. The volunteers pulled together to give seniors rest from the demanding yard maintenance that comes with autumn.

The Church of God volunteers formed seven teams and supported 10 homes with raking, bagging leaves, removing tree branches and general yard maintenance. A handful of homes had signed up for assistance before the cleanup through the town. However, several last-minute opportunities arose to help others the very same day. And the volunteers were more than happy to serve the other neighbors who needed help.

The cleanup teams, clad in orange vests, got to work right away. Yet, even after an hour and a half of removing leaves, it seemed there might not be enough time to clear one of the yards. Because there had been a full night of rain, layers of leaves had compacted on top of each other. Nevertheless, in the nick of time, other volunteer teams who had finished their assigned homes came over to help. As a result, their combined contributions enabled them to finish cleaning the yard with ease.

One of the residents, Lois Detullio, shared that she had recently injured her ankle, and wasn’t able to tend to her yard, even though she did every year before. So, when she heard a knock on her door from the Church of God volunteers, she was exuberant. Lois’ yard and her garden finally became visible once again because of the volunteers’ diligence in removing excess leaves. Furthermore, being moved by their deeds, Lois hugged every member of the volunteer team.

“Wonderful, wonderful young people! I am so blessed; it was meant for me to be home today,” remarked Lois. “I wanted to do something for the youth group and the youth group came to me!”

Also, Phil Detullio, the husband of Lois, was delighted with the volunteer work. Phil exclaimed, “I can’t believe you did all that in two hours; I’ve been out there two weeks! God bless you all.”

Joy resonated in the hearts of residents and volunteers alike. Lois, who was deeply impacted, couldn’t let the volunteers leave without giving them some hot chocolate and snacks, and she expressed her thanks one more time.

“This is beautiful. You’ve gone above and beyond. You know, with all that’s happening today, you people are a blessing,” said Lois. “God has blessed each and every one of you. Let’s hope the rest of the youth of Middletown gets in on this!”

The World Mission Society Church of God is actively carrying out diverse voluntary services everywhere in the global village. From hosting mega blood drive campaigns to delivering humanitarian relief and financial aid to natural disaster victims, the members of the Church of God are always willing to lend a hand to their neighbors and communities. To learn more about volunteering, please contact us.