December 2020 Newsletter

Hill Country Chapter of

Texas Democratic Women

December 2020

Food Drive & Ride-By Party for December Meeting

Tuesday, December 1, noon to 1 p.m.

Gazebo at Mount Wesley Conference Center

610 Methodist Encampment Road, Kerrville

As COVID-19 cases rise in Kerrville and we are all urged to avoid large gatherings, Hill Country Chapter of Texas Democratic Women invites all members to be part of our December Food Drive for Light on the Hill Ministries at Mount. Wesley. We will be keeping everyone safe, with masks and outdoor distancing, while helping our community. We hope to gather a lot of food between noon and 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 1, 2020.

We all miss dressing up, so leave that lounge wear at home. Members are encouraged to dress for a holiday party and wear holiday-themed face coverings. We will be taking pictures and there will be a prize for the most festive mask. Ride by and drop off your donation, or bring a chair and stay a minute to socialize at a distance after delivering food.. Members can also stay in cars in the parking lot to greet Democratic friends we have missed so much since March.

Please come to the Gazebo in the parking lot at Mount. Wesley, on Methodist Encampment Road in Kerrville. Food collection will begin at noon and we plan to move the loaded wagons to Mustard Seed by 1:00 p.m.

Light on the Hill/Mustard Seed Ministries is the food ministry of First United Methodist Church in Kerrville. Nonperishable food like rice, beans, canned fruit and vegetables are welcome, along with holiday foods like stuffing mix and sweets. Monetary contributions are also welcom, along with plastic grocery sacks. Mustard Seed conducts one large food distribution for the San Antonio Food Bank every month, and also distributes food each Monday starting at 10 a.m.

Please start planning now as you shop for groceries so that we can make a big donation to make the holidays a time of abundant food for our neighbors.

President’s Thoughts

Our hopes for a blue wave in Texas didn’t hit but we made a ripple. We send congratulations to Judge Rebecca Martinez our new Chief Justice for the Fourth Court of Appeals and to Rebecca Bell-Metereau our new representative on the Texas State Board of Education. We are very proud of these ladies. They have come to our meetings and supported our activities. Their success is special because we have gotten to know them well. We send condolences to Joe Herrera, Stephanie Phillips and Clayton Tucker. You ran good races. We appreciate that you took time to participate on our webinars. Your presentations were very informative. We know you would have represented us well in Austin.

That blue ripple became a selective blue wave in other states so that our big prize was the election of Joe Biden as our next President of the United States and Kamala Harris as our next Vice President of the United States. The announcement that the Biden/Harris ticket had won the election caused spontaneous dancing in the streets. I bet some of you did a little dance yourself. Listening to the acceptance speeches that night brought tears to my eyes and prayers of thanks. There is a lot of work to do. We need to remember our support through calls and letters to our Representatives and Senators will be needed to help this Biden presidency succeed.

About twenty of our members met at the Nature Center pavilion to have our own celebration. We wore masks, kept social distance and received goody bags. Joe Herrera, Stephanie Phillips and Rebecca Bell-Metereau joined us via zoom phone to thank us for our support. Ann Richards (Stephanie Ertel) recounted her election experiences and we heard the famous speech Ann gave at the Democratic Convention. It was good to be together and share our excitement that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be our new leaders.

Despite the virus, we are trying to provide meaningful ways to stay connected. HCCTDW is a strong association and we want to continue to fulfill our mission statement. We hope you will join or renew your membership. Please contact any member of your Board with an idea you have for us to meet safely. After seeing the long line of cars in Dallas where families were waiting for food supplies, we are proud that our Christmas charity this year is Mustard Seed Ministries. They have provided food for many years. This year of 2020 has shown just how valuable this service is to our community.

November was the month to be thankful. We count our blessings that we live in a country where we can freely vote for candidates of our choice. It is the culumation of all the hard work volunteers and candidates did. Whether we won or lost we are grateful that we were able to have our vote counted. As we celebrate Thanksgiving, with or without family due to the virus, please pause and say an extra prayer for all those who have lost loved ones or have lost their homes and or business/jobs during this pandemic. Say extra thanks for the nurses, doctors and first responders who are working everyday to save lives. Pray that our new leaders will bring better solutions to the problems facing our nation. Pledge that despite our differences we will offer and strengthen friendships with those who didn’t vote blue. Finally, give thanks for our Hill County Chapter of Texas Democratic Women who give us the gift of caring, laughter and dedication for the rights of all women.

Sylvia Ostos

It’s Membership Renewal Time!

If you have not done so, please renew your HCCTDW membership. Or join as a new member. Simply click on the link below and print the form. All information you need is on the form.

Click HERE for a membership form.

If you cannot print the form or have questions, please contact me.

You are vital to this organization! Together, we can accomplish great things!

Barbara Young, Membership Chair

Phone 830 238-3630

Email [email protected]