CARE gears up for Christmas

Howard County - The CARE (Communities About Reaching Everyone) Board met early this month in preparation for the Christmas program. That’s right. Christmas. The Christmas program assists families with children with gifts for the holidays.
Many children are lucky enough to get everything on their Christmas wish list . . . a new IPad, the next and best gaming system, clothes, cologne or perfume, and if Mom or Dad, Grandma or Grandpa don’t know what to get them, well, there’s always cold hard cash or gift certificates to their favorite store(s). 
But for other families Christmas can be a time of worry and perhaps even choosing to not pay a bill because they want to put something under the Christmas tree for their child or children.
For the Howard County families who struggle to make ends meet, the CARE Christmas program is there to assist. Current CARE Board members are Kim Hudecek (President), Lori Bronner (Treasurer), as well as newcomers Janice Rockabrand, Stephanie Gallagher and Lisa Johnson. The Board has met and have gotten the dates down for distribution and are ready to continue the work until distribution weekend.
Help for these families isn’t about the board members. Sure, they do the gathering of information, make phone calls, send out and collect applications and get the venue ready. 
What it’s really about is a generous community of churches, civic organizations, businesses, 4-H groups, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and community members. Without the help of the community, CARE wouldn’t be here for the holidays. 
How does it work? Well if a family qualifies for public assistance the family will qualify. It’s that simple. A simple prescreen for eligibility will take place. Applications can be picked up from Lori Bronner at CUSB Bank or simply calling Kim Hudecek at 563-580-3216. Applications are presently being accepted and will be taken until Nov. 2.
“We won’t be able to help families after the cutoff date due to a tight budget,” said Hudecek. “So, with that being said, if you are a family who needs assistance or know of someone who does, please contact CARE sooner rather than later. Also, if you are going through another agency or church and receiving gifts, you will not be able to receive help from CARE. This is done strictly to avoid double dipping and potentially depriving an eligible family from help. 
“The cutoff date to accept lists may seem early for some but we have lots to do after we get those lists,” said Hudecek. “We have to assign the family to a sponsor, get that list on a spreadsheet, make ‘wish list’ tags and get those tags out to the sponsors before that big push, Thanksgiving weekend.” 
Sponsoring a family can be an undertaking as it isn’t just gifts for the children that are purchased. It often includes a “family wish item,” as well as personal, laundry, cleaning and paper products. Organizations and churches who have helped in the past will be contacted again, and if there is a new sponsor, CARE would love to have you. Monetary donations are welcome as well and can be mailed to CARE at PO Box 323, Cresco, IA  52136. 
CARE pick-up weekend is scheduled for Dec. 7-8. The area hasn’t had Halloween or Thanksgiving yet, but the CARE Board is hard at work to get everything in place and making Christmas “merry” for families in need.
Submitted by Kim Hudecek

Cresco Times

Phone: 563-547-3601
Fax: 563-547-4602

Address:
Cresco TPD
214 N. Elm Street
Cresco, IA 52136

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