Dear Editor,
The tables are folded, the shoppers have gone home, and the volunteers who worked the fall rummage sale at Fletcher Farm have probably earned a chance to rest. But the need the sale was organized to meet is not seasonal.
That is the point I hope residents of Ludlow and the surrounding Black River Valley carry away from the Oct. 17 letter by Black River Good Neighbor Services in The Vermont Journal. Executive Director Krey Kellington thanked the community for supporting the sale and explained that its proceeds help sustain a food shelf, clothing assistance, community meals, and financial and disaster assistance. These services reach Ludlow, Mount Holly, Belmont, Cavendish, Proctorsville, and Plymouth.
There is a lesson here that Christians ought to recognize. In Galatians 6, the apostle Paul tells believers to bear one another’s burdens. He is not describing the feeling of being generous for one afternoon. Carrying a burden means remaining concerned when the task is no longer convenient or visible.
Rummage sales bring neighbors together in a way that has its own value. A shopper may find an affordable winter coat. Someone clearing a closet can give a useful item a second life. Volunteers work side by side and meet people they might not otherwise know. Those are good things. Yet the greater achievement is what happens later, when a neighbor who has fallen behind on necessities can receive help without being made to feel like a problem.
I am writing from Fort Collins, Colo., and have never volunteered at Fletcher Farm or used the services in Ludlow. I can nevertheless appreciate what the organization’s message asks of its own community. The next good step is not simply another round of applause for the people who made the sale happen. It is asking what kind of support the food shelf, clothing program, and community meals will need in an ordinary week this winter.
That question deserves a practical answer from residents who know local circumstances. Some may have time for a shift. Others may be able to offer goods, financial support, or a useful professional skill. Families who need assistance should also know that seeking it does not diminish their dignity. The organization identifies its location as 37B Main Street in Ludlow and provides information about its services through its office.
Jesus taught that loving a neighbor is not the same as being noticed for generosity. In Matthew 25, He takes the needs of hungry and vulnerable people seriously. Christian faith has to reach past our warm feelings and into dependable action. It should also resist turning someone’s hardship into a story told for our own praise.
So, thank the volunteers. Celebrate the successful sale. Then remember that a neighbor who needs groceries in February has not missed the season of compassion. The work of loving our neighbors continues after the last table is put away.
Sincerely,
Douglas Vandergraph
Fort Collins, Colo.