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via Sherri Oliver

Athens County organizations ensure local children holiday gifts

While most holiday shoppers cater their gift lists to family members and loved ones, many residents in Athens County are shopping for people they’ve never met.

For the past 25 years, Athens County Children Services has hosted the Santa Tree Christmas Project, which provides presents for children who might otherwise go without gifts under the tree come Christmas.

The gift donations are contributed by about 50 different organizations as well as anonymous donors in Athens County or by former residents of Athens County.

This year, the program is providing about 1,400 Athens County children with three presents each, said Sherri Oliver of ACCS. Last year, the project donated gifts to about 1,104 children in the county.

Though many of the gifts are donated on time, Oliver said she has also made a couple present runs of her own for children whose gift donations didn’t come in or for those whose parents placed last-minute requests for presents.

The last-minute gifts are purchased using monetary donations ACCS receives, which came to about $2,500 this year, Oliver said.

“We have people who send us cash donations really starting in late October and we’ll get those donations right up until the agency closes for the holidays,” Oliver said, adding that other organizations in the county host similar programs, though ACCS arguably runs the largest.

The Salvation Army, 900 E. State St., is also running a gift-donation program, which will provide presents to more than 200 Athens County children this year.

Donations made throughout the year are used by the Salvation Army to purchase toys, which are then offered to parents who can select up to three presents per child.

Parents qualify for the donation program if they are within 200 percent of the federal poverty level, Cooper said. For instance, a family of four would qualify at an income of $46,100 based on the 2012 federal poverty level.

“The presents are unwrapped, so the parents see what they’re getting. They’re new, unused toys,” said Jennifer Cooper, a coordinator at the Salvation Army.  

Toy donations to the Salvation are also made throughout the year and come from many different organizations and individuals throughout the county.

“With the monetary donations, 100 percent of that goes toward purchasing toys at local stores and then those toys are taken to the delivery site,” Cooper said.

Oliver said the main difference between the gift-donation project conducted by the Salvation Army and the one conducted by ACCS is who purchases the gifts. Unlike the Salvation Army, those who donate gifts through the ACCS shop for specific children and gifts.

Churches throughout the county also contribute gift donations through their own programs or by contributing donations to existing programs, such as the two run by ACCS and the Salvation Army.

The Sheriff’s Office is also hosting a gift-donation program this year.

“It’s a huge amount that goes into doing this,” Cooper said.

sg409809@ohiou.edu

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