Due to the loss of a major sponsor Onslow Christmas Cheer will not be able to give bicycles to dozens of children this year unless someone steps up to donate, organizers said.
Organizers don’t want the potential loss of the bicycles to distract from the basic needs of families and will continue its mission of providing toys and food to needy families during the holidays, said Assistant Jacksonville City Manager Glenn Hargett, who has been helping with the program for more than three decades.
“The coordinator of a major sponsor moved out of the area and they have decided to donate at a more national level, which means we won’t have $7,000 for bicycles like we use to,” Hargett said. “So either someone steps up and donates for that or we will not have any bikes this year.”
The program will still help around 4,000 people this season at a cost of $30,000.
“We are still collecting food and toys,” Hargett said. “The bikes meant an extra-special Christmas for some children.”
While the charity is seeking sponsors for specific families, financial donations are always welcome.
“Every year we have to buy some items missed by the sponsors and every bit helps,” Hargett said.
The program began in the early 1070s as a group of ministers who wanted to avoid duplication in charity giving. The idea was simple: Let someone keep a central list of people who were being helped by the churches in the community. The ministers wanted to help as many people as possible without having some of their congregations duplicate efforts on a few people, according to information from the program.
As the operation expanded, it has had several homes over the years. Since 1995, Onslow Christmas Cheer has been part of Onslow Community Outreach, which operates a downtown Jacksonville homeless shelter, soup kitchen, free clinic and benevolence fund. Cheer fits into the benevolence mission of the Outreach, Hargett said.
“We begin the application process in October,” he said. “Families and individuals that apply are reviewed by a special committee that includes a fraud investigator from the Onslow County Department of Social Services and a seasoned Cheer evaluator. They review the background, the request and the need for each of the families.”
The goal of the program is to help needy children and their families. The program targets children 12 and younger and seeks sponsors for older children.
The program is asking for donations of new toys for children 12 and younger.
“We serve about 1,500 children each year,” Hargett said. “Toys for children 10 to 12 are the most difficult for us. All new toys are welcome. Poor children and children with means all see the same commercials and have friends who get good toys and bad toys, so many want the same type of toys regardless of their parents’ ability to provide for them.”
Hargett said Cheer is about those children.
“Children cannot help what their parents do,” he said. “In performing the review of the families who seek help, we try to remember the mission. Their parents may have made bad decisions, planned poorly or failed to live up to their potential; but the children will know the magic of Christmas in the demonstration of a community’s gift to them.”
In addition to toys, the program attempts to provide a week’s worth of meals for the families. Those meals normally include turkey, chicken or other meat; enough sides to make the meal special; and for seniors and children some cookies or sweets.
The program operates with about 50,000 cans of food each year, Hargett said.
“We receive funds specifically designated for the administrative costs, so all of the funds donated for toys, food or special items, go for just that,” he said. “Your donation, your resource, your help, will make Christmas brighter for needy children and their families.”
Sponsoring a family is fairly involved and organizers do not recommend this for most groups or businesses. However, some of the most meaningful actions have come from businesses, churches and groups who want to help. Most sponsors tell organizers that they spend on the average about $100 per person in the family.
Organizers said sponsoring allows the most personal interaction to share the Christmas spirit and to fulfill the needs of the family. But it comes with a cost: Someone must contact the family and ensure that the items the family wants are within the means of the sponsoring group. Someone must gather the items. The items must match the needs of the family. Just because an item is donated does not mean it is appropriate for that family. Someone must deliver the items. The families usually become nervous if they do not know what is happening about two weeks before Christmas.
Collecting items is usually the easiest for a group or business, organizers said. They encourage potential participants to call food coordinator Mike Ellzey or toy coordinator Linda Fountain to ensure collections can be put to the most use.
In the past, schools and other groups have adopted projects to collect teddy bears, dolls, toy cars and some special food items. Organizers will pickup donated items if a time can be arranged.
Donations can be dropped off at the Christmas Cheer site in the New River Shopping Center. Mail checks to: Onslow Christmas Cheer, P.O. Box 4, Jacksonville, NC, 28541-0004
For more information call 910-347-4646.
Contact Daily News Senior Reporter Lindell Kay at 910-219-8455 or lindell.kay@jdnews.com. Follow him on Twitter and friend him on Facebook @ 1lindell.
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Onslow Christmas Cheer
Without assistance Onslow Christmas Cheer would be unable to help thousands of needy area children during the holidays. Besides financial donations, there are three ways to help:
Sponsor
This needs to be done early and some groups have found this overwhelming. Sponsor coordinators can help make decisions about helping a family.
Collect gifts
Cheer is always searching for gifts for teenagers. The program’s largest need is gifts for boys and girls ages 10 to 12. Please consider durable items that are not trendy.
Collect food
Everyone gives leftovers, which are needed, but the program really needs canned meats, beans and rice. Cheer is looking for staples that can last.
This article ran in the Jacksonville Daily News on Thursday, November 29, 2012
