Members of a local association of woodcarvers whittled Saturday at Jefferson City's Hy-Vee - creating Christmas cheer that will also serve seniors in need.
"Woodcarvers are real helpful folks," Shelby Jones said as he carved what looked to be a small Christmas wreath. Jones was referring to members of Firehouse Woodcarvers Club being happy to assist newcomers to the hobby at twice-monthly club meetings, but his statement also pertains to the club's annual Christmas project that sends all proceeds from sales of carved Christmas ornaments to charity.
This year - the 10th year of the project - proceeds are going to the Cole County Senior Nutrition Program.
Firehouse Woodcarvers' President Rick Griggs said Friday in the past, money has gone to causes including Missouri Honor Flight, the Samaritan Center and Salvation Army.
"We typically raise a little over $2,000 a year," Griggs said.
Printed information he provided said the club has raised nearly $17,800 for local charities since 2009.
"We've been carving since August. When we set our tree up mid-November, we hung over 200 ornaments. For a small group of people, that's quite a bit of work," Griggs said of the preparation that's gone into carving Christmas ornaments for sale this season.
The ornaments of various sizes, designs and prices are available for sale at Hy-Vee - hanging on a tree at the front of the store at 3721 West Truman Blvd. - throughout the Christmas season, and Griggs said the store writes the club a check for the value of ornaments' sales at the end of the season.
"They put us just prominently in this prime real estate location (in the store) every year," Griggs said, praising Hy-Vee's partnership in their project.
The Firehouse Woodcarvers Club started in a carver's garage in the early 1960s but got its name years later once the group met at the Apache Flats Firehouse.
Once the firehouse in Apache Flats became a 24/7 ambulance base, "it was kind of like working in someone's living room," Griggs said, and so the club found new space in an office suite owned by Concord Baptist Church to give both parties the space they needed.
"I have a brother who carved with them," Griggs said of how he got introduced, adding while he's been carving since the late 60s, he's been in the club since about 2000.
Jones and fellow carver Larry Hendrickson said they are charter members of the club, and Harvey Burnett said he's been carving for four years.
Hendrickson was working Saturday morning on a Santa Claus face, and Burnett was focused on carving some boots and a bird's head.
"It's really learnable skills. There are a few basic cuts, and when you learn how to do those basic cuts, you just apply them in different ways to do different styles of carving," Griggs said, adding "with the internet, there's all kinds of teaching resources available."
Jones said it doesn't take many tools to get started in woodcarving - less than $50 will buy some quality tools - adding the activity is "very satisfying."
"Really, you can start with a single tool, a single knife," Griggs said, adding safety precautions like kevlar gloves are encouraged.
Griggs said the club includes men and women who carve, and while "we don't have any younger people carving with us right now," they are expecting a high school-aged boy to start in January, and they've had a 12-year-old grandson of a member carve with them for a while in the past.
Membership costs $15 a year, or $18 per family.
Interested persons can get more information about the Firehouse Woodcarvers Club at any club meeting or by contacting the club at [email protected].
The club meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Monday of each month at 3720 West Truman Blvd., Suite D - which faces Concord Baptist and is in the shopping plaza directly across from Hy-Vee.