The Midnight Run.

Ten kids, 6 adults, 5 vans, tons of clothes, blankets and food, all on there way to N.Y.C. in the middle of the night. This may sound weird to some, but to others, it sounds like the midnight run.

This "midnight run" is not a run as most would first assume. It is a one night trip to New York City where volunteers hand out donated used clothes (still in good condition) to those living on the streets. We pack the vans tight with shirts and sweatshirts, jeans and dress pants, suits, socks, heavy jackets, multiple varieties of packed lunches, blankets, and toiletry items such as: soap, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, toothpaste and toothbrushes.

The program has a leader stationed in NYC who comes with us on all of the runs. We have certain designated stops we go to where we pass out the donated articles.

Our church begins the collection about a month or so before the trip, we ask for any old clothes. And all new soaps and other toiletry items. The week of the trip we all take a shift and sort threw all of the clothes by what they are and by there size. On the day of the trip all the volunteers meet at the church 3 hours before we leave. The group puts all the clothes into bins and pack them into the vans. We also spend a lot of this time putting together all of the care packages and making all of the sandwiches.

Once we are ready to leave the church it is about 8 o' clock or 9 and it is about 11 by the time we get there. And by the time we are finished it is 4A.M. When we get back to the church it is about 6 in the morning and everyone is ready for bed. But everyone also knows how worth it it was to lose that night of sleep.