Ode to Crutches (and Kaitlyn)

974: The number of pounds we (and by we I mean mostly Kaitlyn) delievered to Shared Harvest.

Something I realized on our food drive pick-ups yesterday: When you're on crutches, more people offer to help load the truck.

Our first job was to drop off four barrels to Security National, which happens to be located on Cintas Blvd. You may remember that street name from "The Adventures of Gus the Bus: The Missing Cintas Distribution Center." Same street, different building.

Determined not to be dead weight, I hobbled inside while Kaitlyn parked Gus so I could talk to the lady behind the counter and ask for some help carrying in the barrels. She quickly sent out two or three helpers, and we were done in no time!

By the way, Kaitlyn is a real gem. She drove the entire way, and handled all the barrels and boxes. I owe this girl big time.

Our next stop was a food drive pick-up from Siemans Motion Control to pick up two barrels as well as about ten boxes of food. I think these guys would have helped us out even if I weren't on crutches. They were really enthusiastic and more than happy to lift the boxes into Gus.



They ended up collecting 510 pounds of food. Woohoo!

Our final stop was at Hi-Tek Manufacturing Incorporated. Their food drive is still going on, but their barrels were getting really full. So we left the barrels there, but loaded up their many, many boxes into Gus. I was actually able to help out with this one using the system Kaitlyn and I created on our last food drive. Kaitlyn (and a few more volunteers) wheeled out the boxes on a dolly and got up into the truck, I handed her bags of food, and she loaded them into an empty barrel. So far, they have collected 464 pounds of food!

There was nowhere to turn Gus around once we were finished, so Kaitlyn had to back up into the grass a little to get out of there. First she had to move a random picnic table out of the way, though. We've learned our lesson about that. It was hilarious, in a deja vu kind of way.




Meredith suggested that I use the crutches even after my ankle is healed, so that people continue to sympathize and help us out. It worked out pretty well yesterday! Still, I will be incredibly happy when I'm able to take this air cast off and ditch the crutches. All it takes is physical therapy twice a week for four weeks.

...Yay.