MONROE - For decades, the Christmas Stocking Fund has provided help to people in the area who may find themselves without the resources to create a holiday meal or put toys under the tree.
Run by volunteers, the program has affected people who have never forgotten, especially children. Monda Hess moved to a small farm south of Monroe from Freeport in March 1970, a property purchased by her mother following a car accident involving her father Delbert Bunker. He died two days later in 1967, prompting the change by her mother Marilyn, who was left to care for nine children while dealing with her own health problems.
Once enrolled in the school district, Hess said nurse Katherine Etter took note of the family.
"She saw the situation at hand and took us under her wing from the time I was in kindergarten until the time of my graduation, and I knew her until the time she passed away; I was with her that evening," Hess said. "She was a pillar of Monroe, I think. One of a kind."
Etter worked as an organizer with the fund for years, eventually recruiting Hess, who continues to help by organizing cheer boxes.
Hess began volunteering in 1990 with Etter, who became sick and had to cease her work in 2010, giving Hess her blessing to work on the stocking fund.
"I think it's important to give back, and sometimes maybe people can't give back financially, so what better way to give back to something that's dear to your heart than to volunteer," Hess said. "It's very important to volunteer within a community."
Karen Mau-Boll, a native of Monroe, said the family only utilized the stocking fund once when she was a child, but it left an impression.
"We had nothing, and the Christmas stocking people brought us a box with food, and I remember I got one toy," Mau-Boll said. "It was a little stuffed horse with a yellow yarn mane. I can still remember it perfectly. We never had many toys as a child; we made our own toys. I remember it was just so exciting to have a toy."
She had two older brothers, but one no longer lived at home and the other was near adulthood. Etter was the reason Mau-Boll received her own gift as well.
"She was just a very kind lady," Mau-Boll said. "She cared about everybody."
Over the years, as Mau-Boll became successful and ran her own local American Family Insurance business for nearly 30 years, Mau-Boll made sure to donate to the program. Now in retirement, she spends the season shopping for toys to give to families and then delivers them.
"As soon as I realized the good the stocking fund does as a I grew older and ran a business, I made sure I always donated," Mau-Boll said. "From being young and living in a family that had nothing, we learned to give from the beginning, and Christmas Stocking just gives all the time."
Mau-Boll said she has spent years shopping for children. This year, she made phone calls to organize shoppers and procured toys for four children.
When Hess' family received help from the fund, the program was utilizing the skills of metal works and wood shop students at the high school. Her older brother Louis Bunker, being in both, would frequently repair items which ended up in the home. One year, Hess said he refurbished a sled that her younger brother received. They still have it, in fact.
"The people we meet along the way, they are so appreciative," Hess said. "Sometimes you're the only person they might see for a week. They're so appreciative of what they get, they're happy to see a smile; it's just nice to give back."
Hess and her twin Mona received a baby bed and highchair their brother worked on in the metal shop. He kept scrapbooks of photos published in the newspaper and articles explaining the fund.
Hess treasures a doll given to her through the program as a child. While aged with time, Little Miss Molly still has most of her hair and continues to wear a knit dress made by a Stocking Fund volunteer decades ago. Hess keeps her in a box, tucked away most of the time.
While Mau-Boll no longer owns the memorable horse with a distinct yellow mane, it remains a clear memory she continues to cherish, even six decades later.
Run by volunteers, the program has affected people who have never forgotten, especially children. Monda Hess moved to a small farm south of Monroe from Freeport in March 1970, a property purchased by her mother following a car accident involving her father Delbert Bunker. He died two days later in 1967, prompting the change by her mother Marilyn, who was left to care for nine children while dealing with her own health problems.
Once enrolled in the school district, Hess said nurse Katherine Etter took note of the family.
"She saw the situation at hand and took us under her wing from the time I was in kindergarten until the time of my graduation, and I knew her until the time she passed away; I was with her that evening," Hess said. "She was a pillar of Monroe, I think. One of a kind."
Etter worked as an organizer with the fund for years, eventually recruiting Hess, who continues to help by organizing cheer boxes.
Hess began volunteering in 1990 with Etter, who became sick and had to cease her work in 2010, giving Hess her blessing to work on the stocking fund.
"I think it's important to give back, and sometimes maybe people can't give back financially, so what better way to give back to something that's dear to your heart than to volunteer," Hess said. "It's very important to volunteer within a community."
Karen Mau-Boll, a native of Monroe, said the family only utilized the stocking fund once when she was a child, but it left an impression.
"We had nothing, and the Christmas stocking people brought us a box with food, and I remember I got one toy," Mau-Boll said. "It was a little stuffed horse with a yellow yarn mane. I can still remember it perfectly. We never had many toys as a child; we made our own toys. I remember it was just so exciting to have a toy."
She had two older brothers, but one no longer lived at home and the other was near adulthood. Etter was the reason Mau-Boll received her own gift as well.
"She was just a very kind lady," Mau-Boll said. "She cared about everybody."
Over the years, as Mau-Boll became successful and ran her own local American Family Insurance business for nearly 30 years, Mau-Boll made sure to donate to the program. Now in retirement, she spends the season shopping for toys to give to families and then delivers them.
"As soon as I realized the good the stocking fund does as a I grew older and ran a business, I made sure I always donated," Mau-Boll said. "From being young and living in a family that had nothing, we learned to give from the beginning, and Christmas Stocking just gives all the time."
Mau-Boll said she has spent years shopping for children. This year, she made phone calls to organize shoppers and procured toys for four children.
When Hess' family received help from the fund, the program was utilizing the skills of metal works and wood shop students at the high school. Her older brother Louis Bunker, being in both, would frequently repair items which ended up in the home. One year, Hess said he refurbished a sled that her younger brother received. They still have it, in fact.
"The people we meet along the way, they are so appreciative," Hess said. "Sometimes you're the only person they might see for a week. They're so appreciative of what they get, they're happy to see a smile; it's just nice to give back."
Hess and her twin Mona received a baby bed and highchair their brother worked on in the metal shop. He kept scrapbooks of photos published in the newspaper and articles explaining the fund.
Hess treasures a doll given to her through the program as a child. While aged with time, Little Miss Molly still has most of her hair and continues to wear a knit dress made by a Stocking Fund volunteer decades ago. Hess keeps her in a box, tucked away most of the time.
While Mau-Boll no longer owns the memorable horse with a distinct yellow mane, it remains a clear memory she continues to cherish, even six decades later.