With the Lighted Christmas Balls Party one week away we wanted to get as many of the host families as possible together for a short meeting to tie down loose ends. Gardner reportred that the hunger problem in NC is showing no signs of letting up. Second Harvest, which distributes donated food to more than 400 non-profit partner agencies that serve people at risk of hunger and others in need from Boone to Burlington, is experiencing its second consecutive year of unprecedented demand for food. Last week, WFDD reported that one in six North Carolinians worries about running out of food sometime in the next seven days. Documented research shows one out of every five children in North Carolina experience food insecurity. 
Sunset Hills Neighborhood is committed to doing something about this. Jamey and Phil are providing a 2nd food collection trailer at the corner of Rolling and West Greenway North, and can safeguard donated food from the elements and redeliver it to food banks. John Englar suggested yard signs signs with a simple catch phrase could go a long way to helping connect the experience of enjoying the lighted balls with the bigger purpose of shining a light on the problem of hunger in North Carolina. Triad sign maker Bravo Signs, who helped sponsor our last two workshops/food drives, will make signage for 2nd food trailer and our new yard signs. More later. Jonathan announced that Glenwood Tutoring Program will have their Christmas party December 7, and they'd love us to be part of their effort. For the last two years, Sunset Hills neighbors worked with the program's tutors and students to make and hang over 50 Lighted Christmas Balls. Neighborhoods like Glenwood live on life's margins. Poverty, drugs, and prostitution are in ample supply. Stability, hope, and joy are scarce. Glenwood may be on the margins, but it benefits from a huge multiplyer affect: any good done there gets so much bang for the buck. Just imagine what Greensboro will be like if each student of Glenwood Tutoring Program hangs a Lighted Christmas Ball in their yard 40 years from now, offering stability, hope and joy. Jonathan will send around a signup memo with some possible dates.
Everyone signed up for all the working parts of the party. Despite that the City of Greensboro has offered us an optional "rain date" for the following Sunday, we said if we could take last year's nasty weather, we can take anything. Besides, our statiscian says, it's rained the last three years and we're overdue for a clear day. The forecast for next Sunday indicates cold and clear, but that could change. Stone soup is in the offing again so remember to bring your canned vegatables to add to the pot. If we have more vegtables than we need, they will be added to the food drive trailer. As always there was lots of stories and lots of laughter as this is just the start of the season when we all meet new neighbors, get to know neighbors better and make new friends. The Lighted Christmas Balls no longer just Christmas decorations, they are the cord that binds a neighborhood, one more thing that makes living in Sunset Hills so very special.
While we adjourned to the living room to enjoy an open fire, a glass of wine, and friends, Janet and Jeff took over the kitchen and scraped, scrubbed, and washed evey pot, bowl, plate, fork, spoon and glass in sight, and left us with a spotlessly clean kitchen. What a wonderful treat. What a joy. Thank you, guys.
