Letters to the Editor for May 26, 2010

Food drive thanks

The National Association of Letter Carriers conducted the 18th annual Stamp Out Hunger drive May 8. This is the nation’s largest single-day food drive.

Our Nelson County letter carriers did a wonderful job collecting all of the food donations left by mailboxes by our generous residents.

It is hard to envision how they were able to make their mail deliveries and collect this food: Afton, 2,222 pounds; Arrington, 881; Faber, 571; Gladstone, 31; Lovingston, 498; Montebello, 93; Nellysford, 508; Piney River, 128; Roseland, 1,522; Schuyler, 857; Shipman, 252; and Wingina, 42.

A very big thanks to all of those faithful Nelson County Pantry volunteers who worked so hard on this food drive. Kim Bryant and Kim Dickerson did a tremendous job coordinating the whole project and making it all come together. A record amount of food was collected. Volunteers began early Monday, visiting all 12 Nelson County post offices to collect the donations, take them to the pantry, unload, weigh, unpack and begin sorting and stocking.

MARIAN DIXON

Vice president

Nelson County Pantry

Camille project

How fortunate our high school students were this past month to have the Nelson County community serve as their teachers. Our students will be giving back to their community by donating their Hurricane Camille multimedia work to the Camille Resource Center at Oakland Museum.

We would like to thank the people who so graciously gave of their time and experience to teach out students at Nelson County High School about the devastation in Nelson County from Hurricane Camille in August 1969.

There are four heroes who spent most of their day to speak to three groups of students in the high school media center and to share with these students their responsibilities and memories during the rescue and recovery phase of the disaster: Ed Tinsley, Roseland Rescue Squad member “Junior” Thompson, Harry Joe Bryant (the retired VDOT superintendent of bridges for Amherst and Nelson counties), former Nelson County Supervisor Cliff Wood and Billy League, Nelson County Public Schools athletic director who, as a teenager, helped in the search for and rescue of victims.

Thanks to Georgia Tolbert, who shared a record player and 33 rpm LPs from 1969, and to Brenda Taylor for sharing her personal photographs.

We also thank Woody Greenberg and Greg Kelly for the historical information and tour of Oakland, the Nelson County Museum of History, and their help in teaching our students how the county has changed over the past century, as well as putting local history into a national historical context.

We also appreciate the Nelson County Times for interest in our digital Camille Photo Stories and the administration and teaching staff at Nelson County High School for their support.

JANE RAUP and LEIGH THOMPSON

NCHS teachers

Relay thanks

Nelson County’s Relay for Life organizing committee wishes to thank the following businesses and people for their support of the very successful relay held May 15-16 at Nelson County High School. The 35 teams raised more than $80,000 that will be used to fund cancer research and programs for victims of cancer.

w Nelson County: Tye River Farms, Claudia’s Florist, Critzer’s Berry Farm, a.m. Fog, Mays’ Farm Supply — Southern States, Democracy Vineyards, Mountain Cove Vineyards, Dickie Brothers Orchards, Seamans Berry Farm, Lovingston Veterniary, David Stewart Productions, Blackberry Creek Photography, McDonald’s, The Yarn Boutique, Premier Design — Rita Harris, Pat Saunders, Sharon Adcock, Roxanne Slaughter, National Honor Society students and director (Diana Driver) from NCHS, Oak Ridge, Forestry Department (for Smokey the Bear), NC Sheriff’s Office (for McGruff the crime dog), Nelson County Sherriff’s Deputy Steve Davis, Nelson County Public Schools.

-Waynesboro area: Milmont Greenhouses, Cracker Barrel, Outback Steakhouse, Martin’s Grocery, Home Depot.

-Charlottesville area: Target, Kroger, Elzroth and Thompson Greenhouse, University Florist.

-Amherst County: Kidz Korner, YMCA afterschool program.

-Corporate Sponsors: J.H. Fitzgerald Jr. Logging Inc., Mays Tucker Insurance, Richard Kreger, Attorney At Law, Nelson Cable Inc., UVa Community Credit Union, Blue Ridge Medical Center, Gary Drumheller Landscaping & Trucking, Drumheller’s Orchard, Family Dermatology of Albemarle, Farm Bureau Insurance, Lovingston Healthcare Center, Martin Bradley’s Burial Service.

-In-Kind Sponsors: Pink Cadillac Productions — Ed and Troy Hicks, Oakley Signs and Graphics, Bell’s Septic tank Service, Massie’s Mill Ruritan, Fitzie’s Trucking & Leasing, TBS Productions, Empire Banners.

-For making the Survivor reception a success: American National Bank and Trust Company, Chicken Coop, Eagle Rock Accounting Services Inc., Food Lion, McDonalds, Nelson Food Mart, Nelson Tax and Accounting, Lovingston Café, Ramona Wright, Vitos, Wintergreen Resort, Union First Market Bank, Linmark Appraisal Co., Linda McGovern Realty, Harmony Homes and Land, Tiger Fuel, VA Trailways Credit Union, UVa Credit Union, Nelson County Tourism, Highland Propane, Saunders Brothers Nursery, Wintergreen Real Estate Co., Neece Donson, Virginia Farm Bureau, American National Bank, Front Street Garage, Kim Beverly — Hairstyles By Kim, Dorothy Bradley — Headquarters, Jonathan Nuckles — Nuckles Salon, TBS Productions, Pink Cadillac — Ed and Troy Hicks, Regina Ragland, Robin Moore, Gary Drumheller, Danny Johnson, Betty Phillips, Crystal Phillips, Pam Campbell, Claudia’s Florist, Virgina Department of Forestry — Martha Warring, Cody Hull.

A special thanks to the Nelson County Times for helping to let the community know about the Relay.

We are very sorry if we left anyone out. This was a true community effort to fight cancer.

SHEILA LAYTON and SUSAN STEVENS

Relay coordinators