Central Extension Homemakers Club Meeting

By Jack James
I was greatly honored to be invited to attend the Central EHC (Extension Homemakers Club) recently. My friend Shirley Hamilton of Lavaca is the president of the group that meets monthly in the Barling Community Center at the Farmers Bank in Barling on Highway 22.
Being new to the EHC experience, I didn’t know what I was walking in to except I knew Shirley and my fellow adventurer, Mary Rollins. I met a wonderful group of seasoned citizens from around the area who took us in as they would have if we were old friends.
The group was all ladies with the exception of one man, Daniel. Daniel could hold his own! After a short business meeting, which began with the most wonderful prayer, the members went to work. Half of the group began completing their monthly homework project, which was an abstract Santa door wreath that was wonderful! (You may just see one on my porch before the holidays!) The other half of the group began their work on a community project. Daniel was the ramrod of this group. He had created, cut out and sewed puppy patterns from many different colored and patterned material. The ladies on the table, under his guidance and iron-hand, stuffed each puppy to the perfect fullness. Later, Daniel will oversee the closing of the toy and they are donated to the pediatric department of the former Sparks Medical Center. Mary was planning to feign an illness to get one to keep for her.
The ladies close the gathering with a reading and a full table of potluck foods that they had all brought too. Gotta love a meeting that ends with food!
They meet on the 3rd Thursday of every month, starting back again in January. It’s a perfect activity for anyone who is retired and needs to be around people for fun fellowship with a purpose! I just may pretend to be invited back after the first of the year!