The POC Community Service Club will be hosting its Annual Senior Citizen’s Christmas Luncheon on Friday, December 1 at 11:00 a.m. at the POC Community Center.

All Senior Citizens are Welcome!

Thanks to an economic development grant the work at the Seadrift Harbor has begun! Pictured is the first phase of the project which is the placement of riprap along the west side of the 2nd Street Extension of the harbor. In a few weeks after this first phase new bulkheading will be put in at different places at the harbor. Much needed dredging will follow at the harbor and between the harbor and the Navigation District harbor.

The company in charge of this project is Shirley and Sons Construction Company, Inc. They have a nice website on google if you’d like to check them out.

The project is supposed to be completed in 8 to 10 months. Our hats off to Shirley and Sons and everyone who contributed their time and effort in securing this grant. This grant is all part of the Hurricane Harvey recovery for the city of Seadrift. Special recognition to Councilman Kenneth Reese in taking the picture of the first phase of this harbor project. Thanks, Kenneth!

-Tanya DeForest

What are these three ladies smiling about? Judging from the picture it must have something to do with kids and boxes…pencils, a toy, soap, toothbrushes, crayons, and there’s more inside each one of those 267 boxes. These boxes are delivered to children in many places across the globe courtesy of an organization called Samaritan’s Purse. The project is specifically called Operation Christmas Child whose purpose is to deliver a Christmas shoebox to a child letting them know they are loved by others and a big God with a big heart!

At First Baptist Church and other churches across the nation parishioners had been gathering supplies for the boxes throughout the year. Money also has been donated not only by the church, but by outsiders as well. A volunteer army of adults and kids filled each one of those 267 boxes for this Christmas. Even a 92-year-old veteran donated his time to assemble the boxes!

2023 is Port O’Connor’s First Baptist Church’s fifth year to fill these shoeboxes for kids. It’s as Diane Cooley said, “It’s amazing how generous people are every year.”

For more information a person can google Samaritan’s Purse. You also can contact First Baptist Church at 361-983-2727.
-Tanya DeForest

Cooler Weather and Holiday Time

Greetings from Matagorda Peninsula Island, on this cold and blustery Nov. 10 morning. I think that we can safely say that Fall is now in full swing, as far as the weather goes. The days of temps in the 90’s with super high humidity, have thankfully faded away, and more enjoyable cool and pleasant days and nights are with us. . . until the cold days of winter arrive anyway. I honestly don’t mind the cold weather at all, it’s just when rain and 25 mph north winds are added to it, is what I don’t particularly care for
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Corky and I have been taking the occasional golf cart beach ride lately, and the beach has been pretty clean and not a lot of washed ashore treasures to be found. Late Fall and early Winter are great times to beach comb, as the tides are usually much lower and anything that does come in with the waves can be easily seen. The lower tides also reveal any type of seashells that would normally stay in the first gut of the surf, but are now visible and can be picked up. I never keep any seashell that still has the original mollusk or hermit crab inside, but instead leave these in their found spot.

This normally begins the time of year that fewer and fewer weekend islanders are coming out. The weather starts becoming nastier with the cold strong north winds, which sometimes makes for a rough boat ride coming and going across Matagorda Bay. Deer season is also underway and takes the place of weekend island time for most. And of course the holiday season is upon us, so many families spend this time together celebrating with one another.

Well that’s it from the island for now. I want to wish everyone a wonderful and Happy Thanksgiving this next week! Please enjoy all of the delicious food, and more importantly, your time with family and friends. And please try to say a kind word to a stranger, or do a small act of kindness… we never know what others might be going through, and your thoughtful act could make a positive difference for them. Thank you!