Blitzing The Blitz-Build—feeding the workers
July 2004

The people of Orange County responded to Building Together’s call for help in a big way.

The Building Together program called for volunteers to provide lunches for the over 160 people of WoodsWork Mission for a week followed by about 80 in DriftWood Mission the next week. Thanks to the Orange County School system for the use of Locust Grove Middle School for housing them all. For the Phase one Habitat Blitz-Build 16 Food Teams were organized by Rev. Linda Ray of Bethlehem and Salem UMC to carry out the mass food service. Individuals, churches, Boy Scouts troops, and restaurants responded in droves providing lunches every day. The first day we had a Fredericksburg traffic jam! Thanks to the 16 Blitz-Build Food Teams including:

  • Boy Scout Troupe #97,
  • Salem UMC,
  • Bethlehem UMC,
  • Lake of the Woods Church,
  • Trinity UMC,
  • Shady Grove Baptist,
  • Carey Family,
  • Charles Taylor,
  • Subway Restaurant,
  • Millie Nowers,
  • Janice and Jim Bloom,
  • Dairy Corner Restaurant,
  • Mature Adult Club,
  • East Orange Ruritan Club,
  • Unionville Christian Church,
  • Venice Restaurant, and
  • *Roadster’s Restaurant served all 164 people on July 1.

The East Orange Ruritan Club provided Pop Ice for an afternoon snack at 2:30 each work day. This was a very welcome treat for the workers. The kids loved it!

The Impact Virginia crews, Phase Two of the Building Together program, replaced doors, windows and roofs, built several handicapped ramps, stairs and hand rails, put up siding and painted on 20 homes for low income families and seniors. Imapct Virginia is a project sponsored by the Baptist Mission Board of Virginia. Their 375 volunteers from churches all over Virginia were housed in the Orange County High School.

Teams providing and delivering lunches to the Impact Virginia crews were:

  • Orange Presbyterian Church,
  • West Louisa Charge,
  • Office on Youth,
  • Macedonia Christian Church,
  • Little Zion Baptist,
  • Orange Baptist,
  • St. Thomas Episcopal,
  • Bethlehem UMC,
  • St. Isidore Catholic Church,
  • Gordonsville Baptist,
  • Rhoadesville Baptist,
  • Good Shepherd Lutheran,
  • Zoar Baptist,
  • Gordonsville Rebuild,
  • Antioch Baptist,
  • Raccoon Ford Christian Fellowship,
  • Lake of the Woods Church,
  • Lake of the Woods AARP, and
  • Bethel Baptist Church

Rev. Linda Ray, shown above serving, did a remarkable job of organizing Food Teams for both phases of Building Together.