pecan party

I think it was the Sojourners class at FUMC that brought all their kids and folding chairs and baskets to pick up nuts for a class mission.  There were bags upon bags of them collected by people with a purpose.  If I remember correctly there was one very pregnant lady sitting in the middle of it.  Another guy sat on the porch swing reading the paper.  It was that kind of deal.  We had them cracked and sold them in bags at church for a fundraiser.  Later we made sausage and biscuits and sold them to those who didn't eat before they came.  Those were the good old days.  

I can't remember who the preacher was then but it was probably the great saint Willis G.  In my job as transfusion service supervisor at the Dyersburg hospital we changed providers of blood products during his tenure.  This man preached to the choir and got a Dyer county volunteer blood program to pack the shelves at West Tennessee Regional Blood Center, now known as Lifeline in Jackson.  They are a for profit organization now but one of my dear friends still serves on the board.  

Blood donors are a unique breed.  They show up at the bus, roll their sleeves up and give anonymously.  It's all tested and re-tested to make sure the product is safe.  A lot of people wonder what would happen if they needed it and said product wasn't there.  That crosses my mind from time to time.

To be a donor you must have a minimum iron level and answer a shit ton of questions about your sexual activity.  If you are 16 you need parental consent.  Minimum weight is 110 pounds.  The products are tested for HIV, all forms of hepatitis, West Nile, and on and on.  

I remember after 9/11 there was a rush on blood banks with people wanting to donate only there was no need.  Not many survived.  Be proactive if you've got good veins and pay it forward.