Editor, Gazette-Journal:

Three weeks ago, I came up with what I thought was a simple idea—collecting clothing for the flood victims of North Carolina. My simple plan turned into a massive and successful project, due to the love and compassion of our community.

One of the first things I realized I needed to do was to establish convenient locations for people to drop off their donations. I contacted Visible Changes Hair Salon, Peninsula Heating and Air, Chesapeake Bank, and Field’s Quilting on Main Street, in Gloucester, and Courtney Beshel Designs in Williamsburg. All of these locations were happy to help!

I needed to get the word out to as many people as possible. Social media was an obvious source, but didn’t feel I would reach everyone I could. I spoke with Neal Steele from WXGM 99.1. He was a huge help in promoting and contributing to this project. I then needed to establish a staging area. I asked my church, Mt. Zion UMC, if we could spare the room. No question...