The Warren County Chapter of Mississippi Homemaker Volunteers honored its members for their tens of thousands of hours of service last year with a luncheon this week at the Mississippi State University Extension Office.
Volunteers from the organization provided 21,600 hours of volunteer service in 2014, said Ardiss Marshall, president of the local council. The organiznation is under the umbrella of the Mississippi State Extension Service.
“We decided this year to have the Warren County Children’s Shelter and Good Shepard as our community service projects,” Marshall said.
Service projects stretched far beyond the reach of the shelter and Good Shepard though.  The outstanding person award went to Wandra Evans, the vice president of the local council, who for years has volunteered with Warren County 4-H at fairs, shows and rodeos.
“I enjoy working with out young people,” Evans said.
Evans has been a mainstay at the Dixie National Rodeo and had helped countless young people prepare their animals — mostly goats — for show while helping them learn skills needed for beyond the show arena.
“I always used to say I’ve never seen a 4-H-er go bad, and I still haven’t,” she said.
The outstanding achievement award went to Louise Benton, leader of Cedar Grove Homemaker Volunteer Club. Benton and club members made blankets for the children’s shelter, collected canned goods, washed clothes for shut-ins and collected items to be sent to Haiti.
“Ooooh Lord,” she said. “We did a lot.”
A special recognition award went to Myrtle Alexander for her years of service to the organization, and an award of appreciation was given to Marilyn Bailey, the state’s leadership development agent for homemaker volunteers.
Bailey is preparing for retirement from the organization, and praised the Warren County group for their hard work and dedication to volunteerism.
“When I walk in the place, I’m always touched,” Bailey said.