MONROE - The Christmas Stocking, an annual effort of the Monroe Woman's Club, is abound with stories of individuals, families, groups and businesses volunteering year after year to help provide a brighter Christmas to children in need.
The late Bob Dearth of Monroe is a prime example.
When Bob and Shirley Dearth celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2006, they didn't go the route of taking a tropical vacation or throwing a traditional celebration.
Instead, they worked with the Monroe Women's Club Christmas Stocking program to host a party for 350 children in need, complete with entertainment and food. Each child also received a new winter coat.
"That was really the peak of his life," said his wife, Shirley.
Bob Dearth died in June, after being involved in the Christmas Stocking program six decades. But the coat giveaway he organized in 2006 stands out in the memories of his relatives.
"He took a lot of pride in that gesture," said his nephew Chuck Dearth. "He got more enjoyment out of helping other people than spending money on himself."
Bob Dearth was born New Year's Day 1933 to a rural Lafayette County family so poor they were living in an abandoned house that had a frozen water reservoir, said his daughter, Sandy Dearth-Rufener. As a young boy, he was teased when he had to wear a pink hand-me-down coat from his sister. It was in the midst of the Depression, and his family didn't have much.
"That's why this was always so near and dear to his heart," Dearth-Rufener said of her father's involvement in the Christmas Stocking program. "He never had a Christmas like other kids."
She said she never heard him complain about his impoverished upbringing. Instead, he became a successful businessman, serving as the long-time general manager at Dearth Motors in Monroe, and used his success to help out people who were in the position he had once been in.
The Christmas Stocking Fund raised more than $53,000 in 2011 and helped more than 350 families in need. All money raised is used to fund the program, which also supplies boot and shoe coupons for children, and provides food boxes to families and seniors.
The boxes get packed every year in the showroom at Dearth Motors, the family business started in the 1940s. This year, Dearth Motors will once again host the Women's Club and the volunteers who pack the hundreds of cheer and meal boxes.
Shirley Dearth remembers her husband getting up at 4 a.m. on the packing days to prepare the showroom for volunteers.
"He always had the coffee going and sweet rolls there waiting for them," she said. "He just took care of everything."
Over the years, the Christmas Stocking program has become a family tradition for the Dearths, with grandkids, nieces and nephews joining in to carry on Bob Dearth's legacy. The payoff is making someone going through a hard time feel a little better.
Dearth-Rufener especially enjoys delivering "cheer boxes" to area seniors.
"There's nobody happier to see you at 6 a.m.," she said.
The late Bob Dearth of Monroe is a prime example.
When Bob and Shirley Dearth celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2006, they didn't go the route of taking a tropical vacation or throwing a traditional celebration.
Instead, they worked with the Monroe Women's Club Christmas Stocking program to host a party for 350 children in need, complete with entertainment and food. Each child also received a new winter coat.
"That was really the peak of his life," said his wife, Shirley.
Bob Dearth died in June, after being involved in the Christmas Stocking program six decades. But the coat giveaway he organized in 2006 stands out in the memories of his relatives.
"He took a lot of pride in that gesture," said his nephew Chuck Dearth. "He got more enjoyment out of helping other people than spending money on himself."
Bob Dearth was born New Year's Day 1933 to a rural Lafayette County family so poor they were living in an abandoned house that had a frozen water reservoir, said his daughter, Sandy Dearth-Rufener. As a young boy, he was teased when he had to wear a pink hand-me-down coat from his sister. It was in the midst of the Depression, and his family didn't have much.
"That's why this was always so near and dear to his heart," Dearth-Rufener said of her father's involvement in the Christmas Stocking program. "He never had a Christmas like other kids."
She said she never heard him complain about his impoverished upbringing. Instead, he became a successful businessman, serving as the long-time general manager at Dearth Motors in Monroe, and used his success to help out people who were in the position he had once been in.
The Christmas Stocking Fund raised more than $53,000 in 2011 and helped more than 350 families in need. All money raised is used to fund the program, which also supplies boot and shoe coupons for children, and provides food boxes to families and seniors.
The boxes get packed every year in the showroom at Dearth Motors, the family business started in the 1940s. This year, Dearth Motors will once again host the Women's Club and the volunteers who pack the hundreds of cheer and meal boxes.
Shirley Dearth remembers her husband getting up at 4 a.m. on the packing days to prepare the showroom for volunteers.
"He always had the coffee going and sweet rolls there waiting for them," she said. "He just took care of everything."
Over the years, the Christmas Stocking program has become a family tradition for the Dearths, with grandkids, nieces and nephews joining in to carry on Bob Dearth's legacy. The payoff is making someone going through a hard time feel a little better.
Dearth-Rufener especially enjoys delivering "cheer boxes" to area seniors.
"There's nobody happier to see you at 6 a.m.," she said.