Share Your Christmas as Crosslines and the News-Leader launch 59th year of giving program
A single mother who postponed a mortgage payment to pay for vehicle repairs so she could work as a delivery driver can’t afford to give Christmas presents to her four children.
A widowed father who quit work to care for a 4-year-old daughter with health issues is uncomfortable asking for gifts yet wishes she could have a bicycle with training wheels to help with her balance and coordination.
A grandmother using a wheelchair while awaiting knee surgery hopes for Christmas presents for the three grandchildren in her care, and a Bingo-loving care center resident described as “the sunshine of the center” would be happy with simple pleasures like a hoodie, cream soda and some M & M’s.
Those are just a few of the stories to be told over the next few weeks in the News-Leader as the 59th year of Share Your Christmas begins. Names may have changed since 1964, when the News-Leader was the Leader & Press, yet the purpose of the partnership between the newspaper and Crosslines of Springfield, a Council of Churches of the Ozarks program, remains the same: to provide Christmas gifts and necessities for families and individuals in need during the holiday season.
What hasn’t changed since 1964: Cars still break down.
What has: More single parents in need may be depending on their vehicles to work as delivery drivers. At least that’s what Crosslines volunteer coordinator Sheryl Wachter noticed this fall as she reviewed Share Your Christmas applications and read their stories.
Auto repairs are expensive.
“The one thing that has struck me, as I read reasons for need, over and over I’m reading car repairs,” Wachter said. “And a number of our families have taken jobs as delivery drivers — everything from Grubhub and Amazon and Walmart and Uber drivers.
“And so a car, transportation, is key to their income.”
For these families, money spent on auto repairs leaves little money for necessities — “plain and simply, groceries and rent,” Wachter said — never mind extra expenses such as Christmas gifts for their children.
“It impacts them two ways,” she said. “Not only are they not able to work and bring in income, but there’s the expense of the repairs.”
In other families, dealing with chronic health issues means parents — and grandparents — also don’t have money left over to buy gifts for the children under their roofs. Just as she has in recent years, Wachter continues to read stories of grandparents or other relatives raising their grandchildren or even nieces and nephews in “kinship placements.”
“I admire those giving people that make room in their homes for children,” she said.
As she reviews hundreds of applications to the program each year, Wachter also admires the single parents who tell stories about trying to complete their education, whether they’re working on a GED or earning a master’s degree.
“It takes a lot of commitment to combine classes and work with caring for small children,” she said.
However, one single mother to be profiled wrote that she has had to take a break from coursework at Ozarks Technical Community College to focus on holding down two part-time jobs — and making car payments on time.
Once again, Share Your Christmas will also cover gifts for 80 low-income residents of care centers. While children’s fandom for Squishmallow pillows may be going strong, according to Wachter, older Share Your Christmas recipients aren’t picky: Their wish lists include items like sweatshirts and sweatpants as well as favorite drinks and candy.
Adopting a care center resident through the program may not be expensive for an individual donor, yet donors may need to join forces to adopt large families, Wachter said, adding: “To take five or six children, it’s huge.”
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As they inventory donations and get ready for Share Your Christmas's first season at the new Council of Churches headquarters at 3055 E. Division St, Crosslines volunteers may piece together individual donations to cover the wishes and needs of some recipients. Often, though, coworkers, Sunday School classes and other groups decide to adopt larger families.
“I get companies that do that, and they kind of make it their Christmas project,” Wachter said.
And no matter the recipients’ requests, some donors even throw in a little extra, like a gift card or small gift.
“Maybe a throw for Grandma or a nice bottle of lotion,” Wachter said. “Just something to say, ‘We thought of you.’”
Want to Share Your Christmas with neighbors in Springfield?
For information about how to help the Share Your Christmas families or care center residents, call 417-866-8008 or email share@ccozarks.org.
Gifts should be delivered to Dock 1 or Dock 2 on the west side of the Council of Churches of the Ozarks building, 3055 E. Division St. If the dock doors are closed, please ring the doorbell at the top of the stairs or call 417-862-3586, extension 118, for warehouse assistance. Hours for delivery are 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Monetary donations are welcome because they allow Share Your Christmas to purchase gifts that may be needed to complete a child’s toy list or fill a box for a care center resident.
If you would like to send a monetary gift to assist a particular family or care center resident, please note that in the memo line of your check. You may also write “As Needed” in the memo line, and your gift will be used for the Share Your Christmas program. Please send monetary donations to: Share Your Christmas, P.O. Box 3947, Springfield, MO 65808.
Gifts are due by Dec. 13. Monetary donations are welcome at any time.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Share Your Christmas kicks off 59th year in Springfield
