Talk About Clyde: Caring for Clyde Kids is in need of boys coats, teen gifts for giveaway
Caring for Clyde Kids, which provides toys and winter coats to local families who cannot afford Christmas gifts, is observing its 30th year. Giveaways are held during open hours at the Clyde Back Door Food Pantry on McPherson Highway, behind the EMS station. Hours are 9 to 11 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. every Thursday, including today, Dec. 14, and the last day, Dec. 21.
Boys coats needed now and before Dec. 21
"We're in the thick of it now," said Vicki Schmitz, co-chairman with Amy Wobser, since 2018, after Kay Dick retired in 2017. "We are in need of boys winter coats, all sizes from infant through teens."
Items for older teen girls are needed, too, she said. Even gently used infants clothing or toys and Clyde Flier hoodies for teens will be accepted, she said. Toys for all ages are still needed to keep the giveaway tables stocked till the last day. If one doesn't know what to purchase, cash donations are welcome and committee members will do the shopping, she said. Sometimes cash donations are made as a memorial for a loved one. Updated information on needs are posted on the Facebook page, Caring for Clyde Kids.
Donations can be made at the Back Door Food Pantry during regular hours Thursdays 9 to 11 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. or 24/7 at any of the donation boxes in the lobby of the Clyde Police Department in the Municipal Building, Bolte Realty, NAPA Auto Parts Clyde or WHVT Radio during their normal business hours.
Toys are set up on tables in a back room of the food pantry. Teens earning volunteer service hours have helped to efficiently set up and organize toy tables according to age, which really helped Schmitz and Wobser, she said.
Organizers seek toys, gifts to give to families in 2023
During the years of the COVID-19 epidemic, gift cards were given, but this year Schmitz and Wobser prefer that each recipient receive an actual gift on Christmas morning rather than only a card.
Last year 123 kids were given a Christmas to remember, which included toys, coats, blankets, etc. To date, more than 100 coats have been given away this year.
Families accepting the toys must meet the same qualifications as those accepting food, they must live in the Clyde-Green Springs Exempted Village School District and provide a proof of address. Officer Dana Widman of the Clyde Police Department is in charge.
Caring for Clyde Kids started in 1993 as a confirmation class project at St. Mary's School (now closed), said Kay Dick, former secretary there. One little box was put in the lobby and the students made posters asking for donations
"We got the toys, then we wondered what to do with them," said Dick. For the first few years the toys were given to families in their parish. As more toys came in each year, it was decided to make the toy drive citywide, asking area churches to participate. Word of the toy drive continued to spread. "We were so blessed," said Dick. Local civic groups donated and friends and strangers often handed Dick money for toys wherever they saw her. "It ballooned after that," she said, "people were so generous year by year."
Dick doesn't remember exactly when the toy giveaway began at the present location of the food pantry, which started from the back door of a house on Duane Street. It was started there by former CPD Officer Chris Hoffman.
"It was all worth it," Dick said, reflecting on her years of service to Caring for Clyde Kids with Schmitz and Wobser following in her footsteps.
Symphony to perform free concert on Saturday
The Toledo Symphony Orchestra will be performing at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the Clyde High School Auditorium. This is the last performance brought to the auditorium by Communities for the Arts, which is disbanding.
The performance is free as a thank you to the community for their support the past 18 years CFTA has been in existence. Tickets are required for admission and can be obtained at the Clyde-Green Springs Board of Education, Clyde Public Library, or Hidden Pines Christmas Tree Farm. A limited number of tickets will be available at the auditorium box office the evening of the concert.
Jeanette Liebold Ricker writes about Clyde and Green Springs. Contact her at 419-547-8177 or by email at jlricker@ambt.net.
This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Talk About Clyde: Caring for Clyde Kids still collecting donations
