Join Hands Day Fund Raiser

The Join Hands Day project in Blairsville brings youth and adults together for community volunteering.

Volunteers with the Blue Ridge (Ga.) Chapter of Thrivent Financial, Chapter 31223, joined with All Saints Lutheran Church to purchase approximately $350.00 worth of food for the 9th District Food Bank on June 21, 2007.

This activity was part of the eighth annual Join Hands Day, which is sponsored by America's fraternal benefit societies and is the only national day of service specifically focused on bringing youth and adults together to improve their community through neighborhood volunteering. Approximately 20 adults and youth were involved in the activity.

The group met in the parking lot outside one of the grocery chains and split up into five groups. Each group had a limit of so much money to spend in certain food categories and to look for bargain so the money would purchase the most food. They all had a good time and both adults and youth who participated in this project experienced first hand the gratification and the impact of volunteerism.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, the nations largest fraternal benefit society, has nearly 3 million members who belong to one of 1,362 local chapters. Thrivent chapters meet regularly in order to plan and execute benevolent, social and educational activities enabling members to support their local communities through fund-raising and service projects.