Letters for the week of December 18

On a warm afternoon in June, I entered a large barn in Harvard, Illinois. The scent of hay and horses was thick in the air, and the sunlight spilled through open doorways, casting golden ripples on the shadowed floor. Walking through the barn, I noticed the horse stalls were clean and organized. Several of the horses had their heads extended from their stalls, looking for attention.

A fellow Veteran and volunteer, Mike, introduced himself as we continued walking by the stalls, which lined our path. Mike described the barn layout and talked about a few horses. A computer screen on the wall listed the scheduled riders for the day, their riding time slots, horses, and the type of riding equipment that was needed.

Two members of the Sun City Woodchucks, Donna Bordsen and Howard Hoyt, had an idea to reserve a table at the annual Sun City Artisan Fair with all of the proceeds contributed to the Grafton Food Pantry. All of the items sold at our table were hand crafted by our members. Twenty-one members donated their time, talent and treasures to the cause, and almost every item donated was sold.