The Ironton City Mission again this year, as we have for the past 65 years, has been a “door of hope to the unfortunate.”

For Thanksgiving we served 610 meals, large turkey dinners with all the trimmings and pumpkin pie. How thankful we are for the many volunteers who gave up part of their Thanksgiving day to share the blessing with others and for all you who donated gifts of love to pay for it all.

Christmas is always a very busy time for us here at the Mission. It actually starts months before. We start by registering those who are in need of assistance for food and toys for their children.

Our volunteers put in more than 100 hours over 11 days doing this. A lot more hours than this were put in by volunteers who put the food and toys together to give to the hundreds of families that look to the mission for assistance.

I do not know the total number of hundreds of hours donated just for getting the toys together.

On Tuesday, Dec. 22, more than 70 volunteers gathered at the mission to put together the food baskets. Volunteers came from Portsmouth, Columbus, Huntington, Flatwoods, Pedro, South Point, Coal Grove and here in Ironton. It was a great labor of love.

On Wednesday Dec. 23 we gave it all away and when the day was done we gave food to 772 families from all over Lawrence County and new toys to 1,294 children.

All of this was made possible because the mission still has friends that assist us with their gifts of love.

These friends include churches, businesses, schools, civic clubs, Sunday school classes and individuals who gave money, food and new toys.

We appreciate the other groups who shared their lists with us so we did not have duplications. When the lists are shared we are sure that everyone that has a need is helped and not the same one is on three or four lists. We are not looking for numbers but we do want to help those who are hurting.

Because we have to spend so much in buying toys and food it will affect what we will be able to do in the new year. Everything we do in helping others we do with love.

We are not just a social organization. We are a Christian organization. Our services are provided without regard of race, color or creed.

Again let me say a big thank you to all the volunteers who gave of their time to help us to help others. Your gifts of love are needed for us to continue to be the “doors of hope to the unfortunate” not just at Thanksgiving and Christmas but all year long.

I pray that God will bless you and keep you in his care throughout the new year of 2010. If you are a person of prayer we would ask you to pray for the Ironton City Mission and our ministry of helping others.

Rev. Jeff Cremeans

Pastor/director

Ironton City Mission