MONROE - Children of all ages are among the pillars of support helping the Christmas Stocking project help families in need.
The Christmas Stocking, a program of the Monroe Woman's Club, works to ensure all children in the community have a special holiday. Organizers collect toys and monetary donations to make sure children in need throughout the Monroe School District get a toy for Christmas. Food boxes containing the ingredients for a holiday meal are provided to families in need, and cheer boxes are delivered to the elderly and shut-ins. In addition, the group collects new and gently used children's coats, cleans them and distributes them to those in need. Likewise, vouchers to purchase warm boots or shoes are made available for children.
It's a massive undertaking, requiring hundreds of volunteers - many of them children themselves.
Sue Barrett, publicity chairman for the Woman's Club, said youth provide plenty of extra volunteer help and a needed boost for the Christmas Stocking each year.
"We're grateful to have youth learning to give back to the community," she said. "By starting at a younger age, we hope it helps instill the importance of service to others and volunteerism."
Barrett noted there's a wide range of youth involved. Younger children, including Daisy and Brownie Girl Scouts, help decorate the outside of containers to deliver the Christmas boxes. High-schoolers, including members of athletic teams, academic organizations such as National Honor Society, and service groups such as the Junior Optimists, help pack and deliver the food boxes right before the holidays. And members of youth church groups sometimes help volunteer shoppers select toys or needed items for Christmas Stocking recipients.
Some of the youth get involved at school.
For 29 years, Alice Kranig taught in the Monroe School District, and for most of those years, she can remember making cookies for the Christmas Stocking.
Through donations, Kranig and her students were able to purchase the items needed to make the cookies, baking about 120 to 130 dozen cookies over the years.
Even though she is retired, Kranig kept in touch with the new teacher of the cognitive disabilities severe class she once taught and asked Elyse Radke to see if the students would be interested in continuing the cookie-baking tradition.
"At this time of year, we need to be giving back," she said. "They decided this is what they wanted to do." As a result, the 10 students in each of the four adaptive Home Ec classes will make four dozen cookies for the cheer and food boxes.
Over the years, Kranig saw an increase in the cookie count for the cheer and food boxes.
"The need has gotten greater," Kranig said.
The Woman's Club reports last year, the Christmas Stocking served 341 families for a total of 790 children, delivered 184 cheer boxes and 311 family food boxes.
Other students at Monroe Middle School became "little helpers" as well, teacher Barb McArdle said. For about two weeks in October, students race to collect coats for those in need.
"We did a little competition between homerooms and students brought in coats, mittens, and snow pants," McArdle said, gathering about 195 coats this year.
"The students rose to the occasion and the need of helping," McArdle said. "Kids understand the need and the community knows that."
The coats were taken to the dry cleaners before they were distributed. Extra coats were taken to the food pantry.
Donations are collected throughout the year, but especially right before the holidays. Donations may be sent to Monroe Christmas Stocking Fund, 901 16th Ave., Monroe, WI 53566.
The Christmas Stocking, a program of the Monroe Woman's Club, works to ensure all children in the community have a special holiday. Organizers collect toys and monetary donations to make sure children in need throughout the Monroe School District get a toy for Christmas. Food boxes containing the ingredients for a holiday meal are provided to families in need, and cheer boxes are delivered to the elderly and shut-ins. In addition, the group collects new and gently used children's coats, cleans them and distributes them to those in need. Likewise, vouchers to purchase warm boots or shoes are made available for children.
It's a massive undertaking, requiring hundreds of volunteers - many of them children themselves.
Sue Barrett, publicity chairman for the Woman's Club, said youth provide plenty of extra volunteer help and a needed boost for the Christmas Stocking each year.
"We're grateful to have youth learning to give back to the community," she said. "By starting at a younger age, we hope it helps instill the importance of service to others and volunteerism."
Barrett noted there's a wide range of youth involved. Younger children, including Daisy and Brownie Girl Scouts, help decorate the outside of containers to deliver the Christmas boxes. High-schoolers, including members of athletic teams, academic organizations such as National Honor Society, and service groups such as the Junior Optimists, help pack and deliver the food boxes right before the holidays. And members of youth church groups sometimes help volunteer shoppers select toys or needed items for Christmas Stocking recipients.
Some of the youth get involved at school.
For 29 years, Alice Kranig taught in the Monroe School District, and for most of those years, she can remember making cookies for the Christmas Stocking.
Through donations, Kranig and her students were able to purchase the items needed to make the cookies, baking about 120 to 130 dozen cookies over the years.
Even though she is retired, Kranig kept in touch with the new teacher of the cognitive disabilities severe class she once taught and asked Elyse Radke to see if the students would be interested in continuing the cookie-baking tradition.
"At this time of year, we need to be giving back," she said. "They decided this is what they wanted to do." As a result, the 10 students in each of the four adaptive Home Ec classes will make four dozen cookies for the cheer and food boxes.
Over the years, Kranig saw an increase in the cookie count for the cheer and food boxes.
"The need has gotten greater," Kranig said.
The Woman's Club reports last year, the Christmas Stocking served 341 families for a total of 790 children, delivered 184 cheer boxes and 311 family food boxes.
Other students at Monroe Middle School became "little helpers" as well, teacher Barb McArdle said. For about two weeks in October, students race to collect coats for those in need.
"We did a little competition between homerooms and students brought in coats, mittens, and snow pants," McArdle said, gathering about 195 coats this year.
"The students rose to the occasion and the need of helping," McArdle said. "Kids understand the need and the community knows that."
The coats were taken to the dry cleaners before they were distributed. Extra coats were taken to the food pantry.
Donations are collected throughout the year, but especially right before the holidays. Donations may be sent to Monroe Christmas Stocking Fund, 901 16th Ave., Monroe, WI 53566.