Dec 17, 2019 4 min read

When Sarah Calvert, 18, of Waynesburg became this year’s Greene County Fair Queen on Aug. 4, one of her goals was to do a community service project at least once a month.

It didn’t take her long to get well on her way.

In October, she greeted attendees and helped them find their seats at the annual Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet. She also volunteered at the Kids’ Booth supervising games during the Harvest Festival at the Greene County Historical Society.

She called her November project Thanksgiving Advent, in which she compiled a list of 27 items, each representing a day leading up to Thanksgiving.

The list included items like canned chicken soup, Saltine crackers, muffin mix, cinnamon rolls and canned peas, which she asked people to place in a box that could feed a family of four for breakfast, lunch and dinner on Thanksgiving.

Using her own Facebook page as well as those of friends and family she described the project and attached the list of items. She also notified local churches and community organizations like the 4-H club and Central Greene Stands Together of the project.

“My idea was to let people know that, if they could afford it, to try to place one item in the box each day,” Calvert said.

Her first Facebook post went live on Nov. 7, the birth date of her late brother, Chuck. Chuck died on Dec. 23, 2015, at 12 years old, as the result of an ATV accident while riding on the family’s farm.

“Chuck was a loving and giving person, and I don’t know if these projects will make him proud, but I’m trying,” she said.

She asked donors to either meet her at a convenient location or bring donations directly to her home. Altogether she received 40 boxes, which she began delivering on Nov. 20 so families would get the food before Thanksgiving.

Each donor made their own box separately. One included several turkey tenderloins, others donated money. With the funds, Calvert bought 13 turkeys to include in some of the boxes.

Then the job of getting to boxes to the right recipients began.

“I asked local churches to give me the names of lower income individuals or families or people who just might need a smile or pick-me-up for Thanksgiving,” she said. “These include cancer patients, families of a cancer patient and people in mourning from the loss of a loved one.”

Calvert delivered the meals with help from Heather Gilbert, her boss at Century 21 Realty in Waynesburg, County Commissioner elect Mike Belding and his son, W.D.

“We had three cars and four people make the deliveries,” Calvert said. “If someone wasn’t home we left the boxes on high ground outside the house and notified the recipients of the delivery because no one knew we were coming.”

Calvert reports that most of the families expressed their gratitude and that one man whose wife is battling cancer was so moved he cried. Any boxes that were left over after delivery, she donated to the Corner Cupboard Food Bank.

Soon after completing Thanksgiving, Calvert decided to do something similar for Christmas.

So for this month’s project, she made a list of 24 items and notified local churches and Facebook friends of the project on Dec. 4. She noted the 24 items on the list cost less than $30.

“I want to make the project bigger and am hoping to collect even more boxes,” Calvert said. “Christmas has not been normal since Chuck passed and my idea is to try to find a new normal by helping people.”

Those interested in donating a box, should contact her by phone at 724-998-4413 or on her Facebook page Sarah Calvert or 2019 Greene County Fair Queen.

Box deliveries should be dropped off at the Greene County Chamber of Commerce before Dec. 20, the date Calvert plans to start delivery.