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The Citizen, 1987-11-25, Page 5Playing Santa THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1987. PAGE 5. Dozens of volunteers with Christmas bureau work to make the season brighter for Huron County's needy BY TOBY RAINEY In a country as rich as Canada, no child should ever have to look forward to a bleak Christmas just because his family can’t afford to fill a stocking or put gifts under a tree. At this time of year, we get used to hearing stories of destitute families in the nation’s larger cities, and many of us contribute freely to the charitable organiza­ tions which try to make the season a little brighter for them. But even in Huron County there are upwards of 600 kids under the age of 16 who would have little to look forward to when the big day'arrives, one month from today, if it weren't for the selfless efforts of the army of volunteers and donors which make up the Huron County Christmas Bureau. Sponsored by Family and Child- ren’s Services (FCS) of Huron County, the Christmas Bureau exists to make sure that no child in the county goes without presents, and that no family goes without a Christmas dinner on that most joyful day. “If there is a need anywhere in the county, we want to hear about it - we ’ re here to help,’’ says Pauline Lingard of Grand Bend, herself a volunteer, who works out of the CFS office in Goderich to oversee the total program and provide consultation with local groups to provide consistency and confiden­ tiality to families in need, and to avoid any duplication in services. The Christmas Bureau is oper­ ated in each of the county’s five towns, Wingham, Clinton, Sea­ forth, Exeter and Goderich, at locations where people can drop off donations, and at which families in need can come to “shop” in confidence. Mrs. Lingard says that ideally there would be drop-off locations in some of the county’s villages as well, but the logistics of such a system cannot easily be managed, and usually there are service clubs or church groups in each community that will collect “white gifts” from their members, and in turn donate them to the Christmas Bureau in the nearest town. Mrs. Lingard says that the Bureau seeks to provide every child with at least one new toy, one new, larger item of clothing, and two pairs of new mitts, as well as packing a bag of groceries to help the family over the holiday season. Small amounts of cash may also be made available to families in special need, she added. In Wingham, the Christmas Bureau is operated in conjunction with The Salvation Army at The Citadel, 292 Edward Street; in Clinton, it is the Clinton Christian Reformed Church at 243 Princess Street East; and in Seaforth, at the Seaforth Optimists Club on Main Street South. The Clinton and Seaforthdepotswill be open for donations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily the week of December 7-11, while the Wingham office will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from November 30 to December 4, in conjunction with the regular work of the Salvation Army at this time of year. Donations of money, toys, cloth­ ing, appropriatesmallgifts and non-perishable food items are welcomed at all depots, as well as the little extras that make Christ­ mas special in more affluent homes - gift wrap, special tree decora­ tions, candles or pretty napkins, for instance. Ideally, all toys and clothing donated should be new, but items in “nearly-new” condi­ tion are very welcome, and can always be put to good use, according to Helen Roorda, who is now in her third year as chief co-ordinator of the Clinton Christ­ mas Bureau. When many of us think of sharing at Christmas, we think of bringing happiness to the younger child. But Mrs. Lingard asks that older children and teenagers, whose needs are often more pressing, not be forgotten during the festive season. She says that bureau managers often find that items appropriate to this group are in short supply, and suggests that anything a donor would like to give his own teenager would be eagerly received - items such as games, pretty or zany T-shirts and sweat­ shirts, lingerie, slippers, tapes by popular musical groups and cos­ metics and jewellery for both boys and girls. As donations come in to each bureau, volunteers are on hand to unwrap any wrapped gifts, sort all donations into categories and age groups, and organize the Christ­ mas “store” that will open on the Monday following the contribution week. Because it is often painfully difficult for parents to admit they can’t provide the special extras for their children at this time of year, confidentiality is the keynote of the entire program, says Mrs. Lin­ gard. To provide a sense of dignity for the families getting assistance, each family is given a specific appointment time, during which they may come in to the bureau in their area and choose the gifts that they themselves want for each of their children, just as though they were actually shopping in a happier time. Volunteers are kept to a minimum at this time, Mrs. Roorda says, and even they do not know the last names of the people who come in - only their first names, and the names and ages of the children in the family. While the parent or parents are choosing their gifts - one toy and one item of clothing for each child - volunteers will pack an appropriate bag of groceries for each family to take home. “This system gives everyone a nice sense of choosing things for theirown children, and shows a deep respect for individual digni­ ty,” says Mrs. Lingard, “It also gives the volunteers at the bureau a deep sense of pride in keeping their own “boutique” well-stocked and attractive.” “It’s the nicest thing I do throughout the whole year,” Mrs. Roorda confirms. “The people who come in are always so nice and so thankful, and it gives me a good feeling to know I have been able to help. “Last year we had a doll for every little girl, even some Cab­ bage Patch dolls; as well as a coloring book and new crayons for each child. And if we are short of certain things, we go out and buy them ready for the next day,” she concluded. Items purchased are charged to CFS, which pays for them using the cash donations which come in every year, Mrs. Roorda explained. Children in need throughout the county are identified by public health and social services person­ nel, by schools, churches and community organizations, and by private individuals, or families may apply directly for assistance by calling the Christams Bureau in Goderich at 524-7356. Permission of the family in need must be obtained before a referral is made, and Bureau staff will take over Alice Van Camp of Brussels has knitted more than 20 pairs of mitts for needy children this Christmas, using wool she got at no charge from Barbara M. Brown [standing] at the village’s wool shop. Knitting together a county The mitt knitters of Huron County are on to a good thing - they can share Christmas all year long. One of the aims of the Huron County Christmas Bureau is to provide each needy child in the county with two pairs of new mitts at Christmas, along with the other gifts that are provided through generous public dona­ tions. With some600kidson the list, that is a lot of mitts. The mitts are provided by people like Brussels’ Alice Van Camp, who on her own has knit more than 20 pairs of mitts for the Bureau this Christmas, and say sshehaslost count of the numbers she has produced over from there. In an affluent society, poverty hurts, and never more so than at Christmas. But because of the the years. The system works like this: Huron County Family and Children’s Services (CFS) con­ tracts with at least one store in most communities to provide wool free of charge to knitters, provided the knitted articles are returned to that store for distribution by the Christmas Bureau. The stores are com­ pensated for the service with funds donated to the Bureau. One of the beauties of the system, says Alma Watson of RR 4, Brussels, Knitting Co­ ordinator for the county, is that people who may not be able themselves to afford any other donation can knit mitts to Rive to sharing and caring of thousands of people across the county, for a little whilefor 600 children on Jesus’ birthday, the hurting will stop. the Christmas Bureau; she adds that with so many mitts needed every year, knitters can work at them all year round for giving the next Christmas. In Brussels, Barbara M. Brown Wool Shop supplies wool to knitters at no charge; in Wingham, Walter’s does the same; and in Seaforth, it’s the Seaforth Sewing Centre. Or, if you prefer, you may call Mrs. Watson at 887-6745 for more information. Mrs. Watson says that if mitts get boring, the Bureau welcomes almost any item that can be knitted, especially touques, slippers, scarves and gloves.