CHILDREN OFFER THANKSGIVING MESSAGES TO ELDERLY

Paige Reynolds couldn't find the pumpkin she decorated in the mound of Indian faces piled atop a table at Lynwood Baptist Church. But the 10-year-old girl did know that she'd be thankful to receive such a gift if it were offered.

Paige and the other children enrolled at Lyncare, an after-school program run by Lynwood Baptist Church, have spent the past week decorating miniature pumpkins and drawing placemat designs to be delivered this week to Meals on Wheels clients.

While all the pumpkins are decorated to look like Indians for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, every one is different. Some are brides or grooms, others are princesses or warriors, and some are even babies. A few even have long eyelashes, strands of ribbon for hair and colored ribbons around their stems. Schnuck's donated the pumpkins and Lyncare teachers used scraps of material, ribbons and feathers to supplement the craft paint and other decorations.

The pumpkins are to be delivered Monday with Meals on Wheels by Lynwood Church volunteers.

Each time the church delivers the meals, the children make tray favors. This year they also drew placemats with scripture verses. Lynwood typically delivers Meals on Wheels three times each year for one week at a time.

The name of the child artist and their telephone number are written on the backside of each pumpkin so that the recipient can call to thank them.

When the church first began listing the children's telephone numbers, one family developed a special relationship with the person who received the tray favor. They would visit frequently and trade gifts at the holidays, said Audrey Golden, who coordinates the Meals on Wheels efforts for the church. The children make a tremendous effort on their favor, she added.

Teresa Williams was shocked at first when her daughter received a telephone call from stranger. It turned out to be a Meals on Wheels recipient who'd received her daughter's tray favor.

That activity and phone call helped show that "kids aren't always on the receiving end," Williams said. Both her daughter and son attend Lyncare.

The children know how important the Meals on Wheels program is for people who are ill or cannot leave their homes, said Linda Caldwell, Lyncare director. They are always glad to help share a treat to brighten another's day, she said. This year the children drew 100 placemats and decorated the same number of pumpkins for the meals.