Weather may have changed the plans of the organizers of the Thousand Ten Project on Saturday, but it did little to dampen the spirits of those involved.

Entering its eighth year, the Thousand Ten Project was started in 2011 by Rick Wilson, former pastor at The Alley in Seymour.

The project began with a simple premise: What would happen if 1,000 volunteers got together with each donating $10 to help the community in any way they could?

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Volunteers for this year’s event were originally set to meet Saturday morning at Shields Park in Seymour, but the steady rainfall from Hurricane Gordon resulted in organizers using The Alley’s facility on East Second Street as a rallying point.

“Our community needs programs like this. It’s a heartfelt group and a privilege to get to help,” said Tina Stark, who is treasurer at The Alley.

This year, Jackson County United Way became more involved by providing bags of food, toiletries and information on community resources for the homeless.

“One of our main focuses is to hear what the community wants and needs and to help coordinate those in a better way,” said Stephanie Strothmann, the United Way’s community impact director. “This is a very boots on the ground sort of approach to that.”

Before last year, volunteers for the project would split into teams and focus on specific neighborhoods, talking with people on the streets to see if they could help in any way.

This often resulted in misspent time trying to find those in need.

In 2017, organizers became more focused and began accepting names and addresses of individuals in need from various churches, ministries and outreach programs.

That process continued this year as each team captain received one or two names of people on cards with contact information and a list of needs.

Barbie Huber was one of the captains for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes team from Brownstown Central High School.

“It’s an awesome experience for everyone to learn to be the hands and feet of Jesus,” she said. “We hope (the students) will learn about it and continue it in the future.”

Two FCA chapter leaders, Halle Hehman and Kaylee Branaman, experienced the Thousand Ten Project for the first time this year.

“We were told sometimes you wouldn’t know what to do to help, but you had to just try to be kind no matter what and help in any way you can,” Hehman said.

Branaman agreed.

“We want to show a little bit of Jesus through us and show what being loved feels like,” she said.

The group helped two families in the community, buying them food and toiletries and donating money to a third individual.

“It feels really good. We made a difference by only giving $10, but it was a big difference,” Hehman said.

Another member of the team, Sam Huber, has participated in the project in the past.

“It feels good doing this stuff for people. I wish we could do more,” he said.

But Mitchell McIntyre, pastor at The Alley and Brownstown Christian Church, said that sometimes, what we can do is enough.

“Some people don’t care what you know until they know how much you care,” said McIntyre.

He said while the rain was not ideal, holding the event at The Alley made it a little more intimate. It also showcased The Alley, its location and its kitchen, where hungry people are fed for free in the afternoons during the week.

With the help of the United Way, the volunteers hoped to help members of the community in need more by providing them with information on services they may need to deal with hardships such as addiction, housing, food, insurance and employment.

“We’re offering information and getting people enrolled in health coverage and teaching how to carry this effort beyond just today with blessing bags and other resources for those in need,” Strothmann said.

“I liked the event,” Hehman said. “It would have been better if it wasn’t raining, but I hope when we come next year, we’ll be able to get the full effect being outside.”