MMDC #13

MMDC #13

It snowed Monday night, maybe 2 inches, so Dick got the blade out to move the snow on Tuesday morning. He even scooped our steps on the duplex, thank you very much! 

At the morning staff meeting Susan brought lemon bars, which everyone, especially Mark, enjoyed. 

His instructions for the day were to work and pray—as we assemble desks and school bags, pray for those who will receive them and those who donated supplies.

Today the guys in the wood desk shop, including Don L. and Bruce, built 8 new school desks! Great work! Dick the Caretaker cut out all the pieces. Will helped Roger fill desk tops with all of the pieces so that everything was together. Don M. and Ralph built tops for the ones that had been sanded and sealed yesterday.

In case that’s confusing, here’s the process: 1) build the top and cut out all the pieces, 2) assemble the desk, 3) sit on it to make sure its stable, 4) label all the joints, 5) disassemble it and keep the pieces together, 6) take it to the finishing room, 7) sand and seal the wooden pieces twice, 8) let it dry, and 9) then shrink wrap each desk. Senior desk labels start with S; Junior desks start with J. Individual desks are labeled starting with A, the next one B, etc. Each joint gets a number, so a sample on one joint might be S-A-1 for all bolts on that leg or support. There are 16 total joints. 

Don L. has earned the title DD for “Designated Driller.” He’s also referred to as “Rosie the Riveter.” I hear he tried to drill his own hand, but Mark said if he didn’t end up on the floor, no incident report need to be filed.

Mmm, doesn’t he know his own strength? Just kidding.

As explained in an earlier posting, the heated warehouse next to the workroom has what I call those overhead “hockey heaters” to keep chemicals that go into the flood buckets (liquid soap and disinfectant), shampoo and deodorant for Personal Dignity Kits, and toothpaste for health kits from freezing.

Judy spent the day vacuuming the unheated warehouse. That is past the heated warehouse where the sewing machine and bicycle repair shops, the wood shop, the finishing room, and desk construction shop are located. 

She periodically has her own “Punch ’n’ Judy Show” when she knocks the dust down into the canister of the vacuum to maintain airflow.

At break time she showed us some of the more solid items that she picks up off the warehouse floor—wood, washers, rocks, nails. Is that an arrowhead?

Dick and Mark assembled some tables for the Sugar Creek United Methodist Church’s Café Ministry, and Judy helped later in the afternoon. (368, 372)

In the workroom the gals assembled MMDC one-handled school bags. Dolores was accused of “lying down on the job” when she lay on the top of the box to hold it down while Anna taped it shut.

Unfortunately, after filling 22 boxes with 286 school bags (Good job, girls), we ran out of pencils & pens. So the afternoon was spent opening ALL of the boxes of the pallet of ink pens that had arrived and opening more packages of student scissors. Patty started putting together 3 ink pens and 3 unsharpened pencils with a rubber band for the one-handled school bags. When Sue, Anna, and Dolores finished opening the supplies, they finished the day helping her. NOW we’ll have enough to start assembling one-handled school bags again tomorrow (but we’ll need more of the pencils & pens rubber-banded together)! (369, 370, 371, 699)

Break time is important. We must take time to get to know one another, refuel our bodies (with snacks) recharge our batteries, and reenergize to go back to work. Work begins at 8:30, morning break is at 10:15, lunch is from 12:00 to 1:00, afternoon break is at 2:15, and cleanup is completed by 4:00. THEN we can go home and collapse, er, relax and eat supper.

Thank you, Patty, for sharing your photos of the workroom and break time. 

She also took these photos of the MMDC staff, volunteer coordinators, and volunteer caretakers.

Pat, Executive Director

Danielle, Assistant Director

Mark, Warehouse Supervisor

Mary, Warehouse/Clerical Assistant

Caretakers Dick & Judy and Volunteer Coordinators Carl & Susan

Items made at MMDC are displayed in the workroom, too, and that’s where visitors begin their tour. On the left are samples of the kits assembled for UMCOR and MMDC. On the right is the Personal Energy Transportation (PET) to be made soon.