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As summer is coming to an end, the leaves will soon be changing colors, classrooms will be filling with eager minds, and that means the annual Harvest of Hands fundraiser is just around the corner!

Harvest of Hands is the perfect opportunity to share your talents and skills either at Tuesday craft mornings or Wednesday craft nights (the second and fourth week of each month) or by donating a special project to the Silent Auction. During September the Tuesday morning craft group will be finishing tree skirts and both craft groups will be making Christmas ornaments. Come, meet new people and share in the joy of Harvest of Hands. There will also be an organizational meeting in the Wilderness room at 7pm on September 8.

Don‟t forget when tending your gardens, to please keep Harvest of Hands in mind for dried flowers and canned goods. Harvest of Hands would not be possible without the wonderful people who volunteer their time and talents. Stop by the Harvest of Hands booth at the September 12 Ministry Fair to learn more about Harvest of Hands.

Idella Ziegler with some of the recycled sweaters she organizes each year for Harvest of Hands

When Idella Ziegler was in the second grade, she missed so much school because of frequent ear aches, that she told her mother “I better learn to sew because I’ll never get through school.” Idella did make it through school of course, but enjoyed the sewing and continues to enjoy sewing today. When she started teaching school, one of the things she bought with one of her first pay checks was the sewing machine that she still uses.

When Idella joined Zion in the early 1970s, she soon became involved with Harvest of Hands. It was an era when fewer women were in the work force, and a large group met one morning a week to make quilts and craft items for the fall sale. It was a time for members to meet and many lasting friendships developed. Idella remembers that at exactly 10am Gladys Gilbert would shout, “Time for coffee!” As more women joined the workforce, and the daytime group got smaller, an evening group was added. Now, the groups each meet twice a month. “We welcome new faces, there are so many talented people at Zion,” Idella says. “Try it, you’ll like it!”

Idella’s goal this year is to create 100 items for the sale, and she is well on her way. Families often bring in uncompleted projects after Mom is gone and someone will say, “I bet Idella can finish this,” and yes, Idella loves the challenge. She also feels privileged to speak in worship on behalf of the Harvest of Hands group, motivating others to get involved with preparations and attend the fall event. ” It is easy to speak about something that is so meaningful. Harvest of Hands is the most rewarding project I have been involved with at Zion,” she says. “It is an act of stewardship because we are sharing our gifts to feed the hungry locally and around the world.”

Idella’s family enjoys coming to the Harvest of Hands event each year to see what she has been working on. She  misses Flora Mohring’s lemon meringue pies and Ruth Cornell’s knitted Norwegian mittens, but is excited to see new additions like recycled sweaters and jewelry, and hopes that the tradition continues.

With three months to go before the Harvest of Hands Festival on November 6, there is something that everyone can do to help to make this a very successful year:

The Wednesday evening Harvest of Hands craft group working on some jewelry projects

• Create crafts at home or with one of the craft groups at Zion.
• Help distribute flyers.
• Donate grocery items for egg rolls, cookies, brunch, etc.
• Help make egg rolls, cookies, or brunch.
• Donate white elephants, a silent auction item , jellies, salsas, etc. for the festival
• Work at the festival on November 6
• Help set-up or clean-up after the festival.
• Coordinate an area or project for the festival.

Sign up at ZionBuffalo.org or contact Joy Arens or another committee member for more details. They would love to hear from you or see you at a craft group.

• During August, the Tuesday morning group will be working on organizing and pricing jewelry and assembling kits to be crafted at home.
• The Wednesday evening group will be working on beading projects.

Some kits with craft or sewing projects will be available at the information desk for those wanting to work on something at home.

Marie is a great-grandmother of four, grandmother of seven, mother of four and the main provider of embroidered dish towels for Zion’s annual Harvest of Hands festival.

Where does Marie find the time to sit down and embroider? Marie’s mother taught her how to embroider when she was a child and she returned to this type of needlework in retirement. Approximately, nine years ago, Sandy Brophy (her daughter and a Zion member) asked her Mom if she would be interested in embroidering some dish towels for Harvest of Hands. Marie replied “Yes” and she has been making them every year since. A couple of years ago, Marie embroidered one hundred dish towels! Her embroidered towels are sought after at the Harvest of Hands event and quickly added to the baskets of the shoppers as her needlework is beautiful – both front and back sides. Marie’s dish towel stitching themes vary from funny to traditional.

Marie is 82 years young and lives in a St. Cloud senior residence where she is a very active participant in bingo, cards and visiting with everyone. Her other interests include reading and singing.

Harvest of Hands is very lucky and very appreciative to have Marie as one of its “stitching treasures.”

The Harvest of Hands group invites crafters to join them in preparing for the annual Harvest of Hands event in November.

• The Tuesday morning craft group will meet in the Wilderness Room from 9-11am on June 8 & 22 to work on no-sew tree skirts.

• The Wednesday evening craft group will meet in the Wilderness Room from 7-9pm on June 9 & 23 to work on jewelry and beading projects.

Gardeners, please remember Harvest of Hands when you are planting and working in your garden this summer.

If you’ve not visited with the Harvest of Hands craft group before, Wednesday, May 12 would be a great time to plan on it. Pastor Ted will be visiting with the group to learn more about what Harvest of Hands does. Refreshments will be served at the meeting. Those who are already involved are also welcome to stop by and share your thoughts, experiences, and concerns about HOH.  After the visit with Pastor Ted, there will be time for crafts for those who are interested.

The Harvest of Hands craft group will meet in the Wilderness room this month on Tuesday mornings May 11 & 25 at 9am and Wednesday Evenings May 12 & 26 at 7pm. Specific crafts will be listed in the Sunday bulletins.

If you have sweaters in good condition that you no longer wear, now is the time to set them aside and plan to bring them in to the collection box in the narthex from May 2-16. Harvest of Hands volunteers will clean and store sweaters until the sale in November.

Also, as you are planting your garden this year, please remember the fall Harvest of Hands festival. Garden items go fast at the sale.

Each year the proceeds from sweaters sold at Harvest of Hands raise several hundred dollars to benefit the Buffalo Food Shelf and world hunger.

You are invited to join Harvest of Hands in creating craft items for the annual festival in November.

If you have any decorative buttons that you do not need or want, please consider donating them to HOH for some upcoming craft projects. Please drop them off in the Wilderness Room.

• The Tuesday morning craft group will meet in the Wilderness Room from 9-11am on April 13 to help prepare for a VBS mission project, and on April 27 to make tree skirts.
• The Wednesday evening craft group will meet in the Wilderness Room from 7-9pm on April 14 to work on a bead projects, and on April 28 to work on ornaments.

Harvest of Hands will meet this month on Tuesday mornings March 9 &23 at 9am and Wednesday evenings March 20 &24 at 7:15pm (after Lenten worship).

In January, volunteers completed over 15 fleece blankets for the annual sale. February projects include Shoulder Snuggies Tuesday mornings and beading on Wednesday evenings.

Harvest of Hands relies on volunteers like you produce the crafts that are sold at the annual November festival.

We Are So Blessed

Harvest of Hands , the annual festival and brunch organized by Zion members to benefit local and world hunger raised over $28,000 in 2009.

Funds raised through the 2009 festival will be distributed through the Buffalo Food Shelf and the ELCA World Hunger Appeal.  A larger share will go to the Buffalo Food Shelf to help people in need in our own community due to the economic situation.

• The Buffalo Food Shelf will receive quarterly donations of $4,500.
• $10,000 will go to ELCA World Hunger, designated to help victims of the January 12 earthquake in Haiti.
• $150 has already been given to the Buffalo Food Shelf Christmas Meals project in December.

February Schedule and Projects

The morning craft group meets from 9-11am on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday in the Wilderness Room. February dates are the 9th and 23rd. Projects will include fleece blankets & “Snuggy” bed jackets.

The evening craft group meets on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday in the Wilderness Room. On February 10 the group meets at the usual 7pm time. On February 24 the group meets at 7:15pm after Lenten worship. Projects will include beading & ornaments.

Share a New Craft

Do you have a special craft, talent, or skill that you like to do?  Would you like to share that with our group?  If so, please contact Joy at 763-658-6124.  Participants enjoy trying new ideas and crafts.  Last year volunteers learned how to make stained glass projects, crochet, and knit.

Consider joining the Harvest of Hands crew for a few hours of fun and friendship.  They have a great time working on projects all through the year and would enjoy your company.  If you have any questions or need supplies, please contact Joy.

The 2009 Harvest of Hands Festival was a great success. Craft nights will kick off again on Wednesday evening, January 13,  at 7pm in the Wilderness Room (behind the kitchen). The group will work on a beading project.

If you have any ideas for crafts, we would love to hear your ideas. If you would like to work on crafts at home and need supplies, please contact a committee member (stop by Wednesday night or get contact information from the church office).

Harvest of Hands is winding down another successful year thanks to your generosity of time, donations, and shopping.

Harvest of Hands Festival is an annual festival and brunch organized by Zion members to benefit local and world hunger through the Buffalo Food Shelf and the ELCA World Hunger Appeal.

Proceeds from the November sale were $11,442.45. Thrivent and another anonymous donor are each providing an additional $1,000 in matching funds.   This year an anonymous donor is providing a matching gift for the total amount raised, bringing the total this year to an amazing $26,884.90.  Specific designations of these funds have not been determined yet.

The Harvest of Hand Committee would like to personally, thank each of you, but that is not possible.  So, as you read this, please hear their voice: “Thank you for your contribution to such a worthy cause.  It is greatly appreciated.”

Planning for the next festival has begun, and the committee is already looking for projects and volunteers for 2010. Please join other volunteers on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month at 9am or the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month at 7pm in the Wilderness Room. The friendships, the satisfaction of a good job done, and the contribution to a needy and worthwhile cause are very rewarding.  The kickoff meeting for 2010 will be Wednesday, January 13 at 7pm.

Contact Joy at 763.300.4542 with any questions about Harvest of Hands.