As the holiday season approaches, the Community Foundation of Washington County (CFWC) is ready to employ its mission of giving.
What should be an exciting and joyous time of year for families and children is not that for all, especially for those in the Washington County community.
The CFWC is fully aware of that harsh reality and is carrying out the charge to lessen the hard blow of that reality.
The foundation hopes not just to continue with, but to build even more on last year’s success in helping families.
With help from the Washington County community, the Community Holiday Fund, under the umbrella of the CFWC, will be prepared to fill the void of The Salvation Army for a second year by providing Thanksgiving and Christmas services.
Funds for this initiative started being raised several months ago.
The CFWC’s executive director, Terri Lane, said back in July that they wanted to be “ahead of the game” this year and what’s important is the fact there is still a need and donations are still being accepted into the Community Holiday Fund.
Because of the efforts of Because of the efforts of several organizations throughout Washington County and former Greenville Rotary Club president Evelyn Edwards, the CFWC was able to get the Community Holiday Fund off of the ground and working to achieve the goal of assisting families throughout Washington County during the holiday season.
Last year, more than 250 Christmas wish lists were filled and more than 150 boxes were filled with a turkey and non-perishable food items were distributed to families throughout the Washington County community.
“All of that was because the community came together and combined resources and leveraged donations through the fund under the CFWC umbrella that allowed volunteers throughout our community to ensure that no one went without during the holiday season,” Lane said.
She also added that had only one single entity attempted to bring this into fruition, it wouldn’t have been as successful. The success of the Giving Tree program lied within strong, willing numbers.
The Community Volunteer Collaborative is preparing to accept applications from Washington County residents who have children under 18 years of age and could benefit from holiday assistance via the Giving Tree program.
Registration Events will be hosted on Oct. 19, Oct. 26, Nov. 2 and Nov. 9.
These events will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each date at 819 Main St., Greenville. Those coming to the location are asked to enter from the front doors on Main Street.
Only parents and/or legal guardians may register for their child or children and are asked to bring original birth certificates and social security cards for each child to be registered plus proof of income for the household for qualification purposes.
The CFWC is grateful to the staff and volunteers with Families First of Mississippi for their coordination of the application process.
For questions concerning the application process, contact Cynthia Hines, Regional Director, at 601-918-8634.
Online donations can be made at the Foundation’s secure website, cfwashco.org, or by mailing a contribution to the Community Foundation of Washington, P.O. Box 5910, Greenville, MS 38704. All donations to the Community Foundation of Washington County need to have “Community Holiday Fund” in the memo line.
