2013 Home for the Holidays Special edition of LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com Page 17
“I like to get a star off one of the trees and buy
gifts for children.”
“There are many local organizations that need sup-
port, and even though what we give isn’t a large
amount, we know that even a few cents dropped in
a Red Kettle at Christmas time adds up to some-
thing significant eventually.”
“For us, the most important part of giving is to
give from the heart with humility. We don’t give
so other people will notice, and we don’t give so
we’ll get our name on a list, we give because we
care and because we want to help.”
“I always look for someone who I can cook for
that is having a difficult time. Maybe it’s an
elderly person who is having health issues or just
some one who needs a little fussing over. And if I
make something that I know is a favorite of yours,
I try to send a meal or two your way.”
“Another important key for us is that we support
local groups that use the money to help our neigh-
bors. In Logan County those types of groups are
not hard to find. There are dozens of them, includ-
ing the clubs such as Rotary, Kiwanis, Jaycees and
many more.”
“And, we always want to offer our help to those
groups and organizations that help children. Kids
have no control over their situation, and it is hard
for them to have nothing when they see their
friends at school who have much, so if a dollar
here or there or a storybook dropped in a Toys for
Tots bin can make their holiday better, that is a gift
worth giving.”
“Given what has happened in Washington, Ill., we
need to remember how blessed we are.”
Favorite charities named:
• Toys for Tots
• St. Jude
• The Angel Tree project
• Church and church-related agencies
• Ronald McDonald House
• Light Up A Life
• Mission Mart and New Beginnings (for support-
ing the homeless)
• Salvation Army and United Way use the funds
raised locally to support local programs.
• Logan County Food Pantry
• Feeding America
The Central Illinois Foodbank gets one-third of
its food from national donations through Feeding
America. Mailings from Feeding America indicate
that a donation of $1 provides $19 worth of food,
or if they have a matching grant in effect, which
they often do, it’s $38 worth. That’s a huge return,
and they make use of food that might otherwise go
to waste. Another way they put it is that $1 given
equals nine meals.
• Habitat for Humanity of Logan County
• The Humane Society of Logan County
• Local organizations: Jaycees, Rotary, Zonta,
Kiwanis, all those doing work for the betterment
of the community
