HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 2009-10-21, Page 15Christmas Bureau getting ready for
2009 holiday season in Huron County
Gerard Crease
signal -star staff
With the wind down of summer
and the harvest season, the Huron
County Christmas Bureau is gear-
ing up for the holidays to once
again give the gift of opportunity to
Huron County families.
The bureau received their first
major contribution of the sea-
son earlier in the month, when a
Londesborough baseball team do-
nated more than $2,300.
Christmas Bureau coordinator
Joan VanDenBroeck said the bu-
reau helps families in need in any
way possible - through gifts, cloth-
ing and even food certificates - to
make sure no children go without.
She said while the bureau had
been expecting a spike in numbers
for 2009 following Huron County's
manufacturing dropout, the full ef-
fect of the recession has yet to ma-
terialize.
"We give countless gifts to about
1,000 children each year," she said.
"It's up or down by about 20 kids
each year, but for the last decade
it's been pretty stable."
Part of the reason for that, she
said, is because time and again,
people in Huron County are quick
to extend help to their friends,
neighbours and especially, their ex-
tended family.
"We count on the community for
the resources to pay the bills at the
end of the year," she said. "When
times get tough in Huron County,
people pick up the slack."
The Christmas Bureau got its
start in the 1960s, when church of-
ficials at the time sought to com-
bine their services and offer their
help beyond the congregation to
anyone who needs it.
Today, there are five towns
throughout the county that act as
hosts for the Christmas Bureau,
and host churches rotate every two
years. This year's host churches
are: North Street United in Goder-
ich; St. James Roman Catholic ' in
Seaforth; Clinton United, Exeter
Christian Reformed and Sacred
Heart Roman Catholic Church in
Wingham.
Each of those locations is set
up as "a mini -shopping mall," ac-
cording to VandenBroeck, where
parents come and pick out gifts for
their children.
Filling ,the shelves of that mini -
mall are donors throughout each
community.
People can contribute money
or gifts, however, VandenBroeck
said age-appropriate gifts are al-
ways sought-after. The best way to
pick something out for a child you
haven't met, she said, is to take a
kid along while shopping.
"Chances are if they like it, so
will the other child," she said.
However, she noted it is the par-
ents who choose the gifts for their
own children - something the bu-
reau prides itself on.
"Parents know best what their
kids will appreciate," she said. "Not
every little girl wants a doll."
The buread is manned entirely
by volunteer staff and relies solely
on donations to distribute goodwill
across Huron County.
Giving is cyclical, she said, and
even a small contribution now can
make all the difference for a needy
family at Christmas.
She said there have been many
families who once relied on the
Christmas Bureau who are now
regular contributors.
Sometimes, she said, people just
need a little bit of help to get go-
ing.
VandenBroeck said when money
is given to the bureau there are two
expectations for it - that it be used
wisely and that it be used gener-
ously.
"We are acting on behalf of the
people who give," she said. "Using
it the way they wish it to be used."
VandenBroeck has been active in
the bureau for many years and said
as generations change so do the
things they value. What might have
been the 'it' thing with kids ten
years ago may have taken a back
seat as the digital age. swept in.
However, there is one common-
ality throughout the years - Huron
County is full of goodwill.
"I find the Christmas service very
humbling," said VandenBroeck.
"To see how people respond to
this - it renews all your faith in the
goodness that surrounds us."
All donations must be delivered
to the host churches no later than
the week of Dec. 7-11.
To find out more about the Hu-
ron Christmas Bureau, its locations
or their list of needs, call 519-524-
7356 or 1-800-265-5198.
Families can be registered be-
tween December 1-11.
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