Holiday food drive beings

The Christmas Baskets Program started in about 1982 at NOWCAP, moved to the Elks, then to the Episcopal Church. Business status, auditing, and oversite are now provided by the Episcopal Church. “Christmas Baskets” is a non-denominational program that serves anyone in need of the food & has people from the whole community who volunteer to help with the set-up & distribution.

This year, because of the decreasing number of Scout Troops and Boy Scouts available, the High School and some Middle School students will start the Holiday Food Drive (Scouting for Food’s new name) off with the November food collection. High School students will put the inserts into the bags to be hung on residence’ doorknobs. They will take out the shopping bags with the inserts on Saturday Nov. 2. NHS, FFA, Athletes, Speech & Drama Teams members, 4-H members, the LDS Young Men and Young Women, and other groups will help with this and on the next Saturday, Nov. 9, help in bringing the filled food bags in and then sorting this gathering.

Half of the food will continue to go to the Food Bank at the Community Federated Church and half to the Christmas Baskets program. The “Christmas Baskets” boxes are set up in the Parish Hall at Holy Trinity (Arapahoe and Seventh), where the pick-up/delivery also occurs. People sign up for baskets at H.O.P.E. Agency or the Help Center at Common Ground From Nov. 4 through Dec. 6. Donations of food, money, and help come from many organizations and individuals.

Monetary donations can be made via mail by sending them to Christmas Baskets, P.O. Box 950, Thermopolis, WY 82443. Box packing will take place on Dec. 12 from 6-7 p.m., and pick up will by Dec. 14 at Holy Trinity.

The H.O.P.E. Agency, the Help Center, Rotary, Kiwanis, local banks, other businesses, local schools, folks from local churches and many others participate to make this program successful. We shop locally for the food we need to buy and appreciate the help our local merchants give us. It is truly a whole community affair.

The community filled boxes in 2018 for 98 families by the time we were finished. Guidelines from the American Academy of Family Physicians are used for at least the minimum amount/type of food per person/box, with everyone getting some extra food when there is enough. Turkeys or sliced ham, milk, potatoes and bread are the main perishables purchased with cash donations, with the non-perishable (canned & dried) foods usually donated by the community. Also purchased is pie filling, cranberry sauce and stuffing if not enough is received, so every family can have these special holiday items.