 | | 
|  |
| |  | | 
| | | (SPECIAL/www.northfulton.com)
Yorick and Kristin Andeweg show off the groceries they collected within their neighborhood for North Fulton Community Charities. (click for larger version) | |
October 01, 2008
www.northfulton.com
ALPHARETTA - Alpharetta residents Yorick and Kristin Andeweg saw a need and then got to work - despite the fact they are only eight and six, respectively.
"My oldest one [Yorick] reads everything that comes within reach and had read in a newspaper that the pantry of [North Fulton Community Charities] was very low," said Marian Andeweg, the children's mother.
When a friend of Marian's, who volunteers at the center, confirmed the article, Yorick was troubled by the news and knew something should be done.
So when he and his sister's school, Hembree Springs Elementary School, held a food drive for NFCC not long after, they decided to make their contribution to the drive really count.
"They came up with holding a food drive in the neighborhood with their wagon," Marian said.
The children wrote a letter to their neighbors in Hedington Square explaining the crisis and what they were determined to do about it. That weekend, their father then helped them stuff 95 mailboxes with the letter. Three days later they set out with a wagon to collect the contributions.
The haul took in three wagon loads and about 60 bags of groceries, estimated Marian.
Yorick and Kristin were thrilled.
"Yorick went with me and had a lot of fun getting the groceries from our car to the actual [NFCC] pantry by using a shopping cart," Marian said. "He didn't want the ladies there to put anything away until they could see all of it sitting on the floor [grouped] together because he felt so proud."
Helping out is an important thing to teach her children for Marian.
"I feel that especially in Alpharetta [children] don't really see how many families are struggling to get by. I find it important that they don't take for granted what they have," she said.
Marian volunteers for the Children's Restoration Network and often takes Yorick and Kristin to shelters where they help fill backpacks, work in the kitchen at a shelter for Thanksgiving and prepare holiday gifts for other children in need.
"It makes them realize we are living a very good life and that not everyone is that fortunate," Marian said. "It makes them feel good to be able to help others and get compliments from neighbors for doing so."
Though the Hembree Springs and the Andeweg's contribution to NFCC have been great, the organization is still in need of more food donations. For more information visit, www.nfcchelp.org.
 View images.
|
