County Residents Respond To Needs Of Less Fortunate
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Residents of Kosciusko County caught the spirit of giving this year, and that's good news for area charities.
"The community seems to be responding to our need with great generosity," said Lt. Jeffrey Horn, commander of the Salvation Army in Warsaw.
Contributions to the Salvation Army bell ringer kettles are doing very well, Horn said, in some places better than last year, which was a record year.
Mail-in contributions this year are slightly behind last year's, with the total collected so far approximately $46,000. That's less than half of Horn's goal of $120,000, but he's convinced they'll get there yet.
"Last year our goal was $95,000 and we made $118,000," Horn said.
He added that the number of families in need also is greater than last year, and that need is being met by the community's compassion.
"We have seen a good response to the adopt-a-family program," he said.
Combined Community Services also has benefited from the county's Christmas spirit.
"Any plea that we've put out, the community has responded to," said assistant director Jim Stafford. "We have had a good response from the community in respect to canned goods and toys and people adopting client families. A lot of people come back with positive feelings about doing it."
While most of the emphasis during the holidays is on children, Stafford said CCS still needs large coats - large enough for adults, and for big adults at that.
"And we can always use food," he said.
Karen Dubbeld, a manager at Kmart in Warsaw, said the Christmas tree in their store where customers may take an ornament and buy gifts for children and nursing home patients is always popular.
There are usually about 200 names on the tree, she said.
"We always have a really good response - every name is taken," she said. [[In-content Ad]]
Residents of Kosciusko County caught the spirit of giving this year, and that's good news for area charities.
"The community seems to be responding to our need with great generosity," said Lt. Jeffrey Horn, commander of the Salvation Army in Warsaw.
Contributions to the Salvation Army bell ringer kettles are doing very well, Horn said, in some places better than last year, which was a record year.
Mail-in contributions this year are slightly behind last year's, with the total collected so far approximately $46,000. That's less than half of Horn's goal of $120,000, but he's convinced they'll get there yet.
"Last year our goal was $95,000 and we made $118,000," Horn said.
He added that the number of families in need also is greater than last year, and that need is being met by the community's compassion.
"We have seen a good response to the adopt-a-family program," he said.
Combined Community Services also has benefited from the county's Christmas spirit.
"Any plea that we've put out, the community has responded to," said assistant director Jim Stafford. "We have had a good response from the community in respect to canned goods and toys and people adopting client families. A lot of people come back with positive feelings about doing it."
While most of the emphasis during the holidays is on children, Stafford said CCS still needs large coats - large enough for adults, and for big adults at that.
"And we can always use food," he said.
Karen Dubbeld, a manager at Kmart in Warsaw, said the Christmas tree in their store where customers may take an ornament and buy gifts for children and nursing home patients is always popular.
There are usually about 200 names on the tree, she said.
"We always have a really good response - every name is taken," she said. [[In-content Ad]]