Windsor Plywood French Creek: The Pulse Community Podcast is brought to you in part by Windsor Plywood in French Creek, specializing in hard-to-source interior and exterior home finishing products including flooring, doors and moldings, and exterior project materials such as yellow cedar. Windsor Plywood French Creek carries high-quality, responsibly sourced products, and is committed to providing outstanding value and personalized one-on-one service to all of our customers: homeowners, do-it-yourselfers, renovators, builders, designers, craftsmen, and contractors. Regardless of the type or size of your project, Windsor can help you bring your vision to life from start to finish. Let Windsor Plywood in French Creek help you with your renovation, new build, or building project. Visit them online or call 752-3122.

The Ballad of Peter & Gracie: Peter and his dog raced there and through fields so wide, with dreams in their pockets and stars as their guide. Every day's an adventure under the open sky. In their world of stories, time just flies by.

Peter McCully: Once upon a time in the cozy neighborhood of Coombs, there lived a 7-year-old boy named Peter and his fluffy white American Eskimo dog named Gracie.

Gracie had the softest fur that looked like fresh snow, bright brown eyes that sparkled with mischief, and a curly tail that wagged whenever she was happy. Peter loved Gracie more than anything in the whole world, and Gracie loved Peter just as much. Every morning, Peter would wake up to find Gracie sitting beside his bed, her tail wagging so fast it made a whooshing sound.

"Good morning, Gracie," Peter would say, and Gracie would bark her happy bark that sounded like "woof woof, time to play."

Peter's mom and dad were listening to the Pulse podcast, talking about the Salvation Army Food Bank and how busy they were as more and more people needed their help. Peter took a big bite of his blueberry pancake and chewed thoughtfully. "I wish I could help them somehow."

"You know what, Peter?" his mom said, her eyes lighting up with an idea. "There are ways we can help. Have you ever heard of a food bank drive?"

Peter shook his head, his eyes wide with curiosity. "What's a food bank drive?"

"Well, a food bank drive is when people in the community collect food and donate it to families who need it. We could ask all our neighbors to donate canned goods and pasta, rice, and other foods that don't go bad, and then we could take everything to the community food bank."

Peter's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "That sounds amazing. Can Gracie help too?"

"Of course, Gracie can be your special helper," his mom said with a smile. Right on cue, Gracie bounded into the kitchen, her tail wagging furiously. She seemed to sense that something exciting was happening.

Peter knelt down and hugged his fluffy friend. "Gracie, we're going to organize a food bank drive."

Gracie barked enthusiastically and spun around in a circle, which was her way of showing extreme excitement.

That evening, Peter and his mom made a detailed plan. They would spend the next week preparing for the food drive. First, they needed to make colorful flyers to tell everyone in the neighborhood about it. Then they would go door to door to tell their neighbors about the food drive. And then they would collect all the donations and take them to the food bank.

Peter was so excited he could barely sit still during dinner. "Mom, do you think people will really want to help?" he asked, twirling his spaghetti around on his fork.

"I think our neighbors are very kind people," his mom said. "When people know that others need help, they usually want to do something about it."

Gracie sat beside Peter's chair, her brown eyes following every movement of his fork. Occasionally, Peter would sneak her a small piece of garlic bread, which made her tail wag with happiness.

"What if we don't collect very much food?" Peter said worriedly.

"Even if we only collect a little bit, it will still help someone," his mom said. "Every can of soup, every box of pasta, every jar of peanut butter makes a difference to a family who needs it."

After dinner, Peter lay on the living room floor with Gracie, thinking about all the families in their neighborhood who might not have enough food. He imagined children his age going to bed hungry, and it made his heart feel heavy.

The next morning, Peter woke up extra early. He was so excited about the food drive that he could barely contain himself. After breakfast, he and his mom sat at the kitchen table with colored paper, markers, glue sticks, and stickers.

"What should our flyer say?" Peter asked, holding a bright yellow marker.

"Well, we need to tell people what we're doing, when we're doing it, and why it's important," his mom explained.

Peter nodded seriously and began writing in his best handwriting: "Food Bank Drive in Coombs." At the bottom of the flyer, Peter drew a picture of himself and Gracie. In the drawing, he was holding a can of soup and Gracie was sitting beside him with her tongue hanging out happily. He used a red marker for her collar and a brown marker for her eyes.

"This is perfect, Peter," his mom said. "Now we need to make enough copies for everyone in the neighborhood."

While Peter's mom made photocopies of the flyer, Peter and Gracie practiced their presentation. Peter stood in front of the bathroom mirror and said, "Hi, I'm Peter, and this is Gracie. We're organizing a food bank drive to help people who need food. Would you like to donate something?"

Gracie sat beside him and wagged her tail as if she was agreeing with everything he said. Peter practiced different ways to explain the food drive, and Gracie seemed to listen to every word.

"Good job, Gracie," Peter said, patting her head. "You're going to be the best helper ever."

On Tuesday afternoon, Peter and his mom made a special trip to the community food bank to learn more about what they did. Mrs. Patterson, the director, showed them around the building and explained how the food bank worked. "Some families come once in a while when they're having a hard time, and others come more regularly."

The next day, Peter and Gracie began their neighborhood adventure. Their first stop was Mrs. Johnson's house. Peter took a deep breath and knocked on the door. When Mrs. Johnson opened it, she smiled.

"Hello, Peter, and hello, sweet Gracie," she said, bending down to pet Gracie's soft fur.

"Hi, Mrs. Johnson," Peter said, handing her a flyer. "Gracie and I are organizing a food bank drive. Would you like to donate some food?"

Mrs. Johnson's eyes filled with happy tears. "Oh Peter, what a wonderful idea. I have some extra canned vegetables and soup in my pantry that I'd love to donate. Thank you for thinking of the community."

Peter beamed with pride. "You're welcome, Mrs. Johnson. The food drive is on Saturday from 10 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon."

Their next stop was Mr. Chen's house. Mr. Chen was working in his garden when Peter and Gracie walked up.

"Hello, Mr. Chen," Peter called out. "Can I tell you about our food bank drive?"

Mr. Chen stood up and brushed the dirt off his hands. "Of course, Peter, I'd love to hear about it."

After Peter explained everything, Mr. Chen nodded and said, "This is exactly what we need, Peter. My wife and I will definitely participate. We have rice, noodles, and canned fruit that we can donate."

House by house, Peter and Gracie visited every neighbor in Coombs. Some people answered the door right away; others weren't home. When people weren't home, Peter carefully tucked a flyer under their door or in their mailbox.

At the Martinez family's house, little Sophia, who was only five, asked if she could help with the food bank drive too. "I want to help just like Peter and Gracie," she said.

Peter thought for a moment. "You could help by asking your parents to donate food, and you could help me carry donations on Saturday."

Saturday morning arrived with bright sunshine and a cool breeze. Peter woke up at six o'clock, even though the food drive didn't start until 10. He put on his favorite blue t-shirt and jeans and went downstairs to have breakfast.

"Are you ready for the big day?" his mom said, serving him a pancake shaped like Gracie.

"I'm so ready," Peter said, taking a big bite of the pancake. "I hope lots of people come."

At 9:30, Peter and his mom set up a table in their front yard. They covered it with a red checkered tablecloth and put up a big sign that said "Food Bank Drive - Thank You for Helping." Gracie wore a special bandana around her neck that said "Food Bank Drive Helper" in big letters. She sat beside the table like a professional volunteer, her tail wagging gently.

At exactly 10 o'clock, Mrs. Johnson appeared with a large box filled with canned goods. "Good morning, Peter. Good morning, Gracie. I brought vegetables, soup, and some pasta sauce."

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Johnson," Peter said, carefully placing her donations in a large cardboard box.

Soon neighbors started arriving one by one. Mr. Chen brought rice and noodles. The Martinez family brought canned fruit and granola bars. Even old Mr. Grumpy Face, who usually didn't talk to anyone, showed up with a bag of oatmeal and some peanut butter.

As the day continued, more and more neighbors arrived. Some brought just a few items, and others brought entire bags of food. The teenage Thompson twins from down the street brought three boxes of donations they had collected from their friends at school.

Children who were about Peter's age watched in amazement as Peter and Gracie organized all the donations. "Can we help too?" asked a little boy.

"Of course," Peter said. "Everyone can help."

By lunchtime, they had collected so much food that Peter's mom had to bring more boxes from the garage. The donations covered their entire front yard. There were cans of soup, vegetables, and fruit. There were boxes of pasta, rice, and cereal. There were jars of peanut butter, packages of crackers, and even some special treats like granola bars and fruit snacks.

Gracie was having the time of her life. She greeted every visitor with a happy bark and a wagging tail. Many people stopped to pet her soft fur and tell her what a good helper she was. Some children even brought special dog treats just for Gracie.

"Look at all this food," Peter said to his mom. "I can't believe how many people came to help."

As four o'clock approached, Peter and Gracie stood in their front yard surrounded by more boxes of food than they'd ever seen. They had collected donations from 63 families, two local businesses, and even some people from other neighborhoods.

"We did it, Gracie," Peter said, kneeling down to hug his furry friend. Gracie barked joyfully and licked Peter's face, which made him giggle.

Peter's mom took pictures of Peter and Gracie with all the donated food. "This is a day we'll never forget," she said.

The next morning, Peter and his mom and several neighbors loaded all the donations into their cars and trucks. They formed a small convoy as they drove to the community food bank. Mrs. Patterson, the food bank director, was amazed when she saw how much food they had collected.

"In all my years of running this food bank," she said, "I've never seen such a generous donation from a neighborhood food drive. This food will help feed many families for an entire month."

Peter felt so proud that his chest puffed out like a proud rooster. "Gracie helped too," he said, pointing to his faithful companion.

Mrs. Patterson bent down to pat Gracie. "Well, Gracie, you're quite the helper. We should give you an honorary volunteer badge." She disappeared into her office and returned with a special badge that said "Community Volunteer" with a picture of a dog on it. She pinned it to Gracie's collar, and Gracie wagged her tail so hard that her whole body wiggled.

On the way home, Peter's mom stopped at the ice cream shop. "I think you and Gracie deserve a special treat," she said.

"Mom," Peter said, licking his ice cream, "can we do another food bank drive next year?"

"I think that's a wonderful idea," his mom said. "Maybe we can make it an annual tradition in Coombs."

That night, as Peter got ready for bed, he felt a warm, fuzzy feeling in his heart. He had learned that a 7-year-old boy and his faithful dog could make a big difference. All it took was caring about others and being willing to help.

And with that, Peter and Gracie drifted off to sleep, peacefully dreaming of all the wonderful ways they could continue helping their community. They had learned that when neighbors work together, they can accomplish amazing things. They'd also learned the best feeling in the world comes from helping others.

The Ballad of Peter and Gracie: Peter and Gracie, the finest of friends, with tales of wonder that never end. In the pages of books or stars above, they find their magic in laughter and love.

Windsor Plywood French Creek: The Pulse Community Podcast is brought to you in part by Windsor Plywood in French Creek, specializing in hard-to-source interior and exterior home finishing products including flooring, doors and moldings, and exterior project materials such as yellow cedar. Windsor Plywood French Creek carries high-quality, responsibly sourced products, and is committed to providing outstanding value and personalized one-on-one service to all of our customers: homeowners, do-it-yourselfers, renovators, builders, designers, craftsmen, and contractors. Regardless of the type or size of your project, Windsor can help you bring your vision to life from start to finish. Let Windsor Plywood in French Creek help you with your renovation, new build, or building project. Visit them online or call 752-3122.