Two 18-wheeler trucks left St. Joseph Church in Herndon Nov. 12 heading for the hills of Kentucky and loaded down with everything from couches and stoves to the kitchen sink.

In August 2003, Msgr. Ralph Beiting visited the parish to talk about his work in the Appalachian town of Louisa, Ky. After his dynamic talk, there were no dry eyes left in the church, and Julie Laytham, parishioner, decided that she wanted to help.

"All who heard him wanted to help," she said.

Laytham approached the parish council with her request to have the parish adopt the St. Jude Mission, run by Msgr. Beiting. The plan was approved, and she started to plan how best to help.

"The first six months were very frustrating," she said, adding that even though the parish gave her permission, it was hard to find volunteers.

"But God moved this the way He wanted," she said. Jim Gallahan was the next person to sign on to help with the project, and he was followed by two others. The group of four traveled to Louisa to see for themselves what Msgr. Beiting was up against.

Msgr. Beiting, from the Diocese of Lexington, Ky., has been a priest for 55 years and all but one of those years were spent at the Kentucky mission.

Many of the people Msgr. Beiting serves live in trailer homes that lack furnishing. During the winter, it is common to use kerosene heaters to save on expenses. But these are also dangerous and can quickly cause a fire, leaving families homeless.

One such victim to these fires was Msgr. Beiting’s retreat house, Padre’s Place. It was his place to go for time alone to recharge. He also used it to house visiting seminarians, students on mission trips or others in need. St. Joseph Parish held a second collection and raised $2,000 to help rebuild.

Along with the mission, Msgr. Beiting runs three Catholic churches that were built and supported completely through donations.

The people who live in Louisa are in the "middle of nowhere," said Laytham. Although there are many who could help in neighboring cities, they are still several hours away and can only do so much. They don’t have many social services available to them either, said Gallahan.

Twice a year, St. Joseph Parish sponsors donation drives. There are now six people on the committee and nearly 35 volunteers from the parish. Students from Paul VI Catholic High School in Fairfax and Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington volunteered earlier this month, as well as members of the parish men’s group and the Knights of Columbus.

Although the mission provides one truck for the event, the parish needed a second truck and driver.

"God sends the right people," Laytham said. One of the parishioners was well-connected with truckers and stepped forward to help. He was able to find another 18-wheel truck and driver to transport all the donations to Kentucky.

Even with the two trucks, the collection group still had things left over to put in storage at a local storage facility that donated two units. They transport as much as they can immediately, but the excess waits until the next donation day, said Gallahan.

Since the mission does not need clothes, St. Joseph parishioners donate large, used appliances — refrigerators, freezers, stoves, sofas, mattresses, beds and computers. They also accept small appliances, toys and non-perishable goods.

During Christmas and Thanksgiving time, parishioners wrap presents for the children and put holiday baskets together.

On collection day, there are seven teams that go out into the community to collect the larger items. Other families bring their donations to the church to be sorted and placed in the truck.

When the trucks arrive in Louisa, some of the items are immediately put to use and given to families. Others are put in a warehouse or taken to the thrift shop Msgr. Beiting runs.

"Very slowly, it’s getting bigger and bigger," Laytham said. They hope to find a truck bed they can leave on the parish grounds so people can donate continuously instead of just twice a year.