MONROE - Monroe's Christmas Stocking Fund annual efforts are well underway as a group branching from the Monroe Woman's Club organizes, plans and preps for their biggest charitable act of the year. The group is celebrating 70 years of making Christmases merrier for those who need a little help around the holidays.
The club collects money and other donations and distributes toys and vouchers for shoes, coats and boots to children in need in the Monroe school district. Families receive food boxes before Christmas. Several businesses, school groups, teams and organizations help with the effort.
The program has made it through tough recessions, families in unforeseeable circumstances and some years with declining donations - but stopping the program has never been an option. That's likely because despite the changes that have come and gone over the past seven decades, the spirit of giving and the need for it in the community has remained.
Every year, the Christmas Stocking program benefits hundreds of families. Names of families in need are offered confidentially by school officials, counselors and area churches. The effort requires a multitude of volunteers who shop for families, bake cookies and pack and deliver items.
The basic values of the program are instilled and remain prominent - but no one could have dreamed of how much the project would grow. In 2016, the project distributed more than 500 boxes of food and helped almost 1,000 children in need. The envelope drive brought in about $50,000.
The months of work that go into the project are worth it as organizers see the faces of the recipients and the thank-yous that accompany the deliveries.
To donate to the Christmas Stocking Fund, send contributions to 901 16th Ave., Monroe, WI 53566. All contributions are used locally to fund the program.
Editor's note: Envelopes for the Salvation Army were inadvertently distributed in the Nov. 18 edition of the Monroe Times. In today's Times, you'll find an envelope for Christmas Stocking Fund donations.
The club collects money and other donations and distributes toys and vouchers for shoes, coats and boots to children in need in the Monroe school district. Families receive food boxes before Christmas. Several businesses, school groups, teams and organizations help with the effort.
The program has made it through tough recessions, families in unforeseeable circumstances and some years with declining donations - but stopping the program has never been an option. That's likely because despite the changes that have come and gone over the past seven decades, the spirit of giving and the need for it in the community has remained.
Every year, the Christmas Stocking program benefits hundreds of families. Names of families in need are offered confidentially by school officials, counselors and area churches. The effort requires a multitude of volunteers who shop for families, bake cookies and pack and deliver items.
The basic values of the program are instilled and remain prominent - but no one could have dreamed of how much the project would grow. In 2016, the project distributed more than 500 boxes of food and helped almost 1,000 children in need. The envelope drive brought in about $50,000.
The months of work that go into the project are worth it as organizers see the faces of the recipients and the thank-yous that accompany the deliveries.
To donate to the Christmas Stocking Fund, send contributions to 901 16th Ave., Monroe, WI 53566. All contributions are used locally to fund the program.
Editor's note: Envelopes for the Salvation Army were inadvertently distributed in the Nov. 18 edition of the Monroe Times. In today's Times, you'll find an envelope for Christmas Stocking Fund donations.