‘An amazing blessing’

Families of the Rancho Brazos Community Centers will be blessed beyond measure this Easter, thanks to the generosity of Emmanuel Lutheran Church and other local businesses.

Sally Adamson, evangelism chairman, and church member Ruth Posavac collaborated with several other church volunteers to organize 73 Easter dinners for Rancho Brazos families Monday, March 25.

Each basket contained a $20 gift card for meat, a box of mashed potato mix, a can of corn, a can of green beans, rolls and a boxed dessert of either brownie or cake mixes.

Adamson explained that Emmanuel Lutheran Church did a similar project several years ago, and when she heard Rancho Brazos was requesting help with Easter dinners, she took the task to heart.

"I felt like that was something I was called for us to do and they were just thrilled that we were taking this on,” she said.

“What an amazing blessing,” Rancho Brazos Executive Director Sharla Caro said, as church volunteers were putting together the Easter dinners.

The church received donations from Good Spirit Episcopal Church, Kroger, H-E-B and David’s Grocery. Adamson said individuals outside of the congregation also sent monetary donations, as they had heard about the project and felt compelled to help.

"(Rancho Brazos) requested dinners for 73 families, which was overwhelming. I didn't think there was any way we'd ever get that much,” Adamson said. “But we have and it's amazing.”

She said whatever food is left over will also be donated to the Rancho Brazos Community Centers’ food pantry.

"This congregation has blessed us, the stores in the community have blessed us, and it just gives me goosebumps how much we've been blessed because Sally and I had our doubts about how much we were overstepping,” Posavac said.

“We didn't think we could do this,” Adamson said, chiming in. “We were just gonna do the best we could do — but it turned out even better than I had imagined.”

Adamson added she was thrilled with the outpouring of generosity from not only the community, but members of Emmanuel Lutheran Church as well.

"God has been at work in this project, and in the hearts of all these people,” she added. “It has truly been a community-wide effort.”