Give A Christmas helps families, seniors and children in Bucks County

He'll turn 70 this month and is wheelchair-bound with severe rheumatoid arthritis. He's single and his only income is his monthly Social Security check.

But this Bucks County resident considers himself lucky.

"I try to get up every day with a positive attitude. I could be homeless," he said.

He has an apartment at Grundy House in Quakertown and thanks the Bucks County Opportunity Council for the help they've provided him, including gift cards to Walmart funded through the community action group's annual Give A Christmas campaign.

Give A Christmas is an annual drive sponsored by the BCOC and The Intelligencer in Central and Upper Bucks and separately by the Levittown-Bristol Kiwanis Club and the Bucks County Courier Times in Lower Bucks to help people in need this holiday season.

Both campaigns are ongoing and count on the support of the community to meet increasing needs this holiday season. The funds help children, families and individuals, including a good number of senior citizens who often struggle balancing housing costs, utilities, prescriptions and grocery bills with little left in their fixed incomes for holiday spending.

How to help Give A Christmas: Help Give A Christmas to Central and Upper Bucks County neighbors in need

Kiwanis-Courier Times GAC: Help Give A Christmas to Bucks County neighbors in need

Beyond the Give A Christmas direct help, the BCOC also helps recipients with other needs and services. The Kiwanis, while not a direct provider of services, also helps identify other needs of those who receive holiday vouchers and provides additional assistance when it can.

The Quakertown resident is a Give A Christmas recipient this year. He said that after he pays for his Medicare Advantage insurance through a private insurer, his total monthly income is $940.

He uses that to "eat, pay rent, have a cell phone. I do OK," he said. But the $100 in gift cards provided through the Give A Christmas drive have come in handy.

Getting out can be difficult because his wheelchair does not collapse for transport in a regular vehicle so he does most of his shopping online and a BCOC volunteer visits him monthly to deliver a supplemental food donation.

He enjoys chatting with the man who brings him the food. He has a son who lives out-of-state and calls him regularly and visits a couple of times a year. He said he doesn't want his son to forego his own career to care for him, so the man manages on his own.

He is grateful for the BCOC support, including help with filling out forms for state rent rebates and other assistance.

The BCOC is the county's leading non-profit, anti-poverty program that supports people in finding and maintaining housing and food security.

"Sarah Johnson from BCOC is best advocate I have ever had since moving into Grundy House. Please thank whoever was responsible for getting those gift cards to me," he said in a text.

More: For Bucks families struggling to make ends meet Give A Christmas is a real gift

The Give A Christmas drive also supports many families with children who are struggling to make ends meet. The Kiwanis Club works with local schools to identify students who would benefit from the donations. And parents with little kids are especially thankful for the help in making their holidays bright.

The Kiwanis donations are used to provide $35 vouchers to participating supermarkets such as Acme and Redner's and other stores. This lets families free up other money to buy gifts for their loved ones.

In 2022, Give A Christmas drive raised more than $176,000 for the Opportunity Council through 814 donations and allowed it to give financial gifts to more than 500 households.

The Give A Christmas organizers hope for a strong finish in donations. The BCOC drive has raised more than $70,000 so far.

The Kiwanis drive, which raised $113,372 last year and gave out 3,835 vouchers for 2,505 households, has raised $45,475 so far this year. Donations can be given by name or anonymously with or without a message for subscribers to see. And if you can't make a donation before Christmas, ones will still be accepted after the holiday season.

More: Give A Christmas: Requests for help up as Bucks County families continue to struggle

Donations for the Kiwanis drive can be downloaded here, or found in the printed Bucks County Courier Times. Please send to Give A Christmas, P.O. Box 862, Levittown, PA 19058. Donate online here.

Donations in Central and Upper Bucks can be made payable to BCOC-Give A Christmas and mailed in care of The Bucks County Opportunity Council, PO Box #1807, Doylestown, PA 18901.

Donate online via credit card, Paypal or Venmo.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Give A Christmas helps families, seniors and children in Bucks County