Submitted
Moultrie County DOVE Director Mary Hughes stands with members of First Baptist Church in Sullivan along with a portion of the pajamas and stuffed animals collected for area children that are housed in DOVE shelters.

Collection to Serve Kids in DOVE shelters

by Jake Dilley
Reporting in Sullivan

Jackie Godfrey’s passion for helping others shone recently when she and other members of the First Baptist Church in Sullivan collected pajamas and stuffed animals for children in DOVE shelters. DOVE is an affiliation of religious organizations and volunteers that offer social services to those in need. Through well-organized programs and services, DOVE aids those dealing with societal problems and needs.

Godfrey says she first got the idea to spearhead the pajama and stuffed animal collection from watching Oprah. 

“I saw an episode of Oprah about five or six years ago. Women got 9,000 pairs of pajamas for kids. I talked to the ladies in church about doing it for DOVE. Most of the clothes we collected came from Manhattan, Maryland, and Ohio. We just want to do it for the kids,” she said. “They need something that is theirs, something they can take home and that’s why we collected pajamas and stuffed animals.”

Godfrey did not have a collection goal but went into the project with an open mind.

The church has done food pantries for CEFS, Christmas boxes for children out of state, soup labels, and collected medical supplies for out of country missions, but this was First Baptist’s largest project to date.

“We are a mission minded church and people were excited to help out. We give to missionaries out of country, but our big mission is right here in Sullivan. There are so many people that need help in Sullivan and the surrounding areas.

“The collection was advertised on Facebook, and a collection box can be found at the First Baptist Church for continuous help,” explained Godfrey. “We’d like this to be a regular thing, and I hope other churches will get involved too.”

Godfrey says that in addition to serving others, the only other purpose for the collection and other similar efforts is to help inspire others to take on the challenge of creating, organizing, and executing a plan to assist others in whatever way possible.

“It’s about helping others who need it,” said Godfrey. “DOVE is the biggest organization here that we could help. I have in my heart that we need to help the community. My passion is helping people that can’t help themselves. I hope people see this and say, ‘Hey, we can do this too!’ I believe there will be a change in the community. Working with DOVE on this was great, and Mary Hughes is a good person. She was excited when we brought the items to her.”

Hughes, the director of the Moultrie County DOVE office, takes donations throughout the year. Items including shampoo, tooth paste, tooth brushes, and diapers are those needed most.  There are DOVE offices in Moultrie, Shelby, Macon, and DeWitt counties that offer services like a 24-hour hotline, support groups, children’s groups, and domestic violence education classes.

“I sure appreciate what the church did,” said Hughes. “The stuffed animals were great, and the pajamas were a nice addition.  They are great people willing to help out in the community.”