TEXARKANA, Texas - Hundreds of unsung heroes and heroines who live and work among us came to First Baptist Church before noon Friday to enjoy a meal and receive a public shout out.
These public servants, who are road workers, school bus drivers, city plumbers, police, fire fighters, school cafeteria workers, school teachers, city sanitation crew members, pipe fitters and others, provide essential aid to the community. They collected inside the First Baptist gym for the church's Fifth Annual Unsung Heroes Appreciation Celebration, complete with lunch and dessert.
"This just started off as an idea to recognize these community servants who hold our community together and help provide our basic needs for life everyday," said First Baptist Church Pastor Jeff Schreve. "We just want to let them know that their work doesn't go unnoticed, that we love them and that God loves them. Without many of them we wouldn't even have something as basic as good water."
For First Baptist Church member Jill Harrington, who volunteered to work at the dessert table, the occasion provided her a great blessing to just help out with the event.
"This is a great way of witnessing and letting these heroic citizens know that we care about them," she said.
The meal's main course included sausage, brisket, chicken, beans, potato salad and coleslaw, while the dessert table offered assorted pies, cakes, cookies and brownies.
Bill Vale, another church member, noted that all of the citizen servants provide so many needful things to the community, but at times seem almost invisible to the community at large.
"These wonderful servants provide us with so many things that we take for grant-it every day," Vale said.
Church Member Sharon Wilson said being a volunteer allows her to help bring some happiness to others.
"I also get a chance to express my appreciation to our many heroes," she said.
James Jackson, who's been a bus driver for the Texarkana Arkansas School District for 16 years, said he enjoys driving kids with special needs to school everyday.
"I love school bus driving because it gives me a chance to help people who need help," he said.
Brenda Coulter, another 16 year veteran TASD bus driver, said the job gives her a chance to look out after the kids' safety.
"Sometimes you have drivers who don't pay attention to the bus' flashing red lights and stop signs," she said. "Some even try to drive up on the medians to get by."