Christmas Friends Inc. is shifting into high gear for the 2021 season of helping Middlesex County’s needy children and senior adults. Many shoppers received their “wish lists” this week and will soon be bringing in bags of gifts daily. Wrapping sessions will begin next week.
This is the 36th year for the local charity organized by the Southside Sentinel and the Middlesex County Department of Social Services. The program expects to serve 275-300 clients this year and the fundraising goal is $30,000.
Wrapping sessions are being organized to be sure social distancing space is available for a maximum of five wrappers. Volunteers will be able to wrap on most weekdays at the Sentinel office.
If you’d like to help wrap gifts, go to ChristmasFriends.org and check the schedule. Three-hour morning and afternoon sessions are listed and you are invited to get your wrapping friends together and plan on a day or two of holiday spirit-infusing fun!
The ChristmasFriends.org list will be updated frequently to indicate which time slots are still available. If you are without Internet service, please call the Sentinel office to volunteer.
Many shoppers also wrap the gifts they purchase. That is an ideal situation in this pandemic world, and if more shoppers are able to enlist family members to help, wrapping paper is available at the Sentinel.
The wrapping area at the Sentinel office will be sanitized before and after each wrapping session. Wrappers are encouraged to bring their own scissors.
Gift boxes are always needed and may be left any time at the back door of the Sentinel office.
Other ways to help
A few shoppers may still be needed to cover every client needing help. Recipients of Christmas Friends gifts are all referred by the Department of Social Services, and the names are still coming in. If you would like to volunteer as a shopper, please call Sentinel office manager Geanie Longest at 758-2328, ext. 101, or email her at glongest@ssentinel.com.
Delivery of the gift bags is on Saturday, December 18. You can also contact Longest if you have a large van capable of holding approximately 25 “contractor” size bags of gifts and are willing to be its driver for one of 12 delivery routes.
The ideal van is a Chrysler or Dodge with stowaway rear seats, or similar size vans with seats that can be completely removed. “Full size” SUVs (such as a Chevy Suburban) have also been used successfully. Most regular size SUVs do not have enough space for all the bags.
Full size pick-up trucks with camper shells are also suitable.
Total volunteer effort
All funds donated to Christmas Friends go directly to help needy children and disabled or low-income elderly of Middlesex. All workers are volunteers and the only administrative fees are related to maintaining its tax exempt status. Supplies such as boxes, wrapping paper and delivery bags are all donated. Volunteers supply storage space, vans and fuel to assist with the big delivery job.
Monetary contributors will be recognized as Christmas Friends and their donations will be listed weekly in the Southside Sentinel. Contributors who wish to remain anonymous should request that their donations be listed as such. Memorial contributions also will be acknowledged.
To donate using PayPal or a credit card, go to ChristmasFriends.org.
Donations received through Nov. 22 total $5,466.
They include:
- Jane Jackson Woerner, $100.
- Strother and Evie Scott, $200.
- Dale and Paige Sprenkel, $100.
- Vernon and Linda Carter, $50.
- Anonymous, $700.
- Cato Corp. in Kilmarnock, $100.
- In memory of my wife and son by Tony Robusto, $100.
- Urbanna Baptist Church-Richardson Fund, $1,000.
The total this week is $2,350.
