Service with a Smile: All Saints group helps clean animal stalls for county fair

All Saints Anglican Church member Amanda Bennett was hoping to help out at the Prince William County Animal Shelter as part of her church’s week-long community project called Saints in Action.
The animal shelter needed volunteers to clean up the stalls at the Prince William County Fairgrounds in preparation for the 60th annual county fair.

While not a match made in hog heaven, the arrangement turned out to be mutually beneficial.

“I couldn’t use them at the shelter because I have a team of volunteers there,” said shelter spokeswoman Suzette Kapp. “But we were like, ‘Oh, we’re getting ready for the fair, so we can find something for you to do there.’ It actually worked out perfect. They are doing a good job.”

On a muggy, overcast Wednesday, 13-year-old Amanda and seven other children her age spent approximately three hours shoveling and raking sawdust and wood shavings and cleaning the surrounding fences that will keep the sheep, goats, rabbits and ducks enclosed.

An owner of three cats and a horse named Izzy, Amanda said the service project was tough and but rewarding. Adorned in gray shirts with a flashy red Saints in Action logo, Amanda and her friends were just a small representation of the program.

From assisting Habitat for Humanity and Project Mend-A-House to feeding the homeless at the Vineyard Christian Fellowship Harvest Banquet to hosting vacation Bible School at selected host homes, the church community stayed busy this week.

On Tuesday, Amanda and a few of her friends also helped stock items at the Action in the Community Through Service shelter pantry in Dumfries. Amanda said she’s learned all about hard work and teamwork through her volunteer experiences.

Saints in Action was the brainchild of youth pastor Mario Sandoval, who had in previous years taken many of the church’s teenagers to goodwill missions to New Orleans and South Dakota, said parish executive Kerry Walters.

Close to half of the church’s budget involves some sort of outreach program, said Walters. This year, church leaders wanted to see how they could involve their parishioners in projects much closer to home. The end result was the creation of Saints in Action.

One particular projected entitled Neighbors in Need involved individuals doing a variety of chores in and around the house of an elderly woman in Montclair. Walters, who organized the event, said it was worth it just to see the woman’s reaction to their charitable work. 

“Seeing this lady, her gratitude, her appreciation is just priceless,” Walters said. “It’s a great joy to help out with things that seem small to us but are hugely important to her.”