Most children will wake to dozens of boxes under a lighted tree this Christmas, but for some local kids, were not for the hard work of many, Christmas may be as joyful.
It is during the holiday season that most charitable giving is done, but one type of giving that is special this time of year is the toy drive. Each year, millions of toys are donated to hundreds of different toy drives to make sure than no child goes through the season without having a gift.
One annual event in Perry County has been going on since 1954 and is going strong to this day. The Light a Child’s Christmas giveaway lets hundreds of children pick gifts, both new and used, from donated items at the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Hazard.
The veterans and the ladies’ auxiliary raise funds and collect donations for months to be able to provide gifts to children in the area. According to Mary Shanks with the ladies’ auxiliary, they serve around 200 to 300 children during the one-day event. “They all get to see Santa Claus, they all get a treat bag, and they all get a new toy, and a used toy,” said Shanks.
Children are sent through the event in groups of 10 so they can all be given a fair chances at the toys. When children have to wait, they are given a coloring book and items to play with. The new toys are all wrapped, and used toys are unwrapped so children can pick one out.
While the ladies’ auxiliary has been hard at work collecting items and donations, they are still accepting more and will continue to accept donations through Dec. 14. The Light a Child’s Christmas will be held Dec. 16.
Anyone looking to lend a hand or a toy still can. Donations can be taken to the VFW post on North Main Street in Hazard. Volunteers are welcome to help pack goodie bags on Dec. 13 at the VFW following the ladies auxiliary meeting, or come to Light a Child’s Christmas on the 16th. Any toys left over are taken to needy families at their or given out at the Masonic Lodge in Hardburly.
Another group working to make Christmas brighter for local children is the Lotts Creek Community School in Cordia. According to the school director Alice Whitaker, the students and community are involved in several giving efforts.
One man has taken it upon himself to help the people of the Cordia community to have a good Christmas for the past few years. Gino Montrone has brought truckloads of goods to the small school that have then been given to the families of the students and the community.
Montrone, a resident of New Jersey, retired and was looking for a way to give back. He saw a documentary about Eastern Kentucky and decided to start investigating ways to help the children of the region. “He called someone in Frankfort, and it just so happened that the person they got was from here,” said Whitaker.
Montrone has formed several connections with schools and individuals in New Jersey, and this year they were able to donate three truckloads of goods.
Lotts Creek Community School has also received a grant that is making the school a healthier place. This grant has helped the school start a gym, replace unhealthy snacks and foods with healthy ones, and all but eliminate soda. This grant also helped the school to give away 100 turkey dinner boxes to both students and community. The boxes contained a healthy option for Thanksgiving meals.
The school is also involved in giving out food through their food pantry. Every month they open their doors to the people of the area to receive much needed food. This month the pantry will be opened on Dec. 20.
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