Local nonprofit organizations that provide holiday cheer for those in need in Central Missouri are preparing for increased demand on their services this year.
Summer flooding and the EF-3 tornado that raked through the region May 22 displaced hundreds of families, who probably aren't thinking about Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas. But a number of local organizations are, and they're preparing to help them throughout the season.
Anticipating the spike in demand, several nonprofits, like Hope for Christmas - a campaign in which individuals, offices and businesses adopt families - began their programs early this year.
Hope for Christmas usually begins preparations for its campaign Oct. 1. This year, it began Sept. 1, said Vicki Bullock, the organization's executive director.
"Last year, we served around 650 families. This year, we already have 627 families signed up," Bullock said early last week.
The organization usually has only about 30 families registered during the first week of October, she continued.
The program is intended to provide assistance during Christmas to families who have suffered a health or other crisis in the past six to eight months. Generally referred by organizations, doctors, clinics, hospitals, churches or other professional facilities, the in-need families may have lost a parent or child or have someone who is suffering from cancer or another illness. Families are helped one time.
The organization also offers isolated seniors for adoption - those who may not have anyone to celebrate Christmas with.
Hope for Christmas is marking its 10th year serving Central Missouri and has provided some hope for about 4,000 families and seniors, Bullock said. The organization started out by adopting a single family 10 years ago, with the hope of 12 being adopted. That year, the community adopted 25 families in Cole County.
Over the years, the nonprofit has expanded and created partnerships to cover 36 counties. Six of the counties are served from Jefferson City.
"Most of the time, churches have taken over for (Hope for Christmas) in the other 30 counties," she said, "because that's where we get a lot of referrals in our outer counties."
Go to hopeforchristmasjcmo.com or facebook.com/HopeforChristmasJeffCityMo to find families or seniors to adopt. The website also provides a tab for donations. Checks made out to Hope for Christmas may be mailed to P.O. Box 105276, Jefferson City, Mo., 65110. All donations will be matched through Dec. 5
People who wish to adopt a family or senior may also email the organization at [email protected] or call Bullock at 573-353-4720.
"We need help with adopting families. We need help with wrapping gifts," Bullock said. "And if somebody is shopping and picks up an extra gift to donate, that's welcome."
The organization needs donations of wrapping paper, tape and boxes, she said. People who wish to help wrap gifts should call for times.
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Samaritan Center
The Samaritan Center is currently in the midst of its annual Halloween costumes drive, project specialist Denise Kuensting said.
"We are accepting new or gently used Halloween costumes for children," Kuensting said. "We will have those available beginning (Tuesday)."
The center will continue accepting the costumes (generally intended for children 12 and younger) and will distribute them until Halloween or until it runs out - whichever comes first.
Costumes may be dropped off at the center, 1310 E. McCarty St. in Jefferson City.
Last year, the center distributed 125 costumes.
The Samaritan Center began signing families up for its Christmas Adoptions program at the beginning of October. It will continue with registrations until Oct. 23.
Once signed up, clients are to go into the center (between 1:30-3:30 p.m.) and fill out a wish list for Christmas. For information, call 573-634-7776 or go to midmosamaritan.org.
"We are looking for churches, businesses or individual adopters who are willing to adopt a family," Kuensting said.
The adopting person is expected - at the minimum - to provide two gifts each for children younger than 12, a gift for each parent and older children, and a grocery store gift card worth at least $15 per adopted family member for a Christmas meal.
"We also have Thanksgiving," Kuensting said. "Last year, we gave out right around 1,400 turkeys for Thanksgiving."
The organization tries to provide complete Thanksgiving meals for families and seniors, she said.
"We call it a Thanksgiving kit," she continued. "It's a little bit above and beyond what they would normally get."
The kit should include a turkey and sides - chicken broth, stuffing mix, yams, gelatin, fruit cocktail, cranberry sauce and pie filling.
The center is "really short" on stuffing, canned fruit and canned pumpkin this year, Kuensting said.
People shopping at Schulte's Fresh Foods or Hy-Vee in Jefferson City can buy turkeys and tell the store personnel they are for the Samaritan Center. The grocery stores will deliver the turkeys every week.
And the center is accepting donated gifts for children ($10 minimum) for use during Santa's Workshop, which provides gifts for families who don't get adopted.
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Toys for Tots
Halloween is an important day for the annual U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots campaign. The reserve hosts a daylong fundraiser at Capital Mall, culminating in Trunk or Treat.
The organization raises money for Christmas toys during the event, said Harold Faughn, the Cole County coordinator for Toys for Tots.
It will begin with breakfast at Hy-Vee and continue through the day. A celebration and kickoff event featuring local lawmakers is set for 11 a.m.
It will include live performances.
The goal is to help raise money for the annual toy giveaway.
The nonprofit collected 6,371 toys locally last year. Area individuals, businesses and organizations provided 3,299 of the toys. The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, which operates on endowments, provided 1,233 toys for children in Cole County.
Toys for Tots will distribute 35 drop-off boxes in the community this year (and will provide boxes during area organizations' Christmas events).
To volunteer, email Faughn at [email protected]. To donate, go to toysfortots.org.
Because of the generosity in Cole County, Toys for Tots was able to provide 2,809 toys for children in Crawford, Dent, Maries, Miller, Osage and Audrain counties in 2018. Organizers hope to provide toys in counties farther north as well - to reach more communities affected by this year's flooding.
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Affordable Christmas
Soma Community Church sits near the center of the part of Jefferson City most affected by the May 22 tornado, which contained 160-plus mph winds, Pastor Jon Nelson said.
"We are right in the zone where everybody got hit. We're definitely trying to push up our numbers this year," Nelson said.
But it's difficult. Some of the storm's victims want to participate in the fifth annual Affordable Christmas. Some don't.
They may be embarrassed or frightened by the event, Nelson said.
Soma's clients for Affordable Christmas (under-resourced families who are included by invitation only) are treated to breakfast and are provided with child care while they "shop" for gifts for the children. The event is 9 a.m.-7 p.m. at the church, 804 Fairmount Blvd.
People wishing to volunteer should call the church at 573-557-9078. A sign-up sheet will also be going up on the church's website, somajc.org. The church can assign volunteers with a time and location to help.
The other thing people can do is shop. The church provides an Amazon wish list on its website. The list does not include anything exorbitant, Nelson said. The most expensive item may be a bicycle.
People may either go to Amazon and purchase an item (and have it shipped directly to the church) or buy locally and drop off items at the church.
"We offer a dignified way to help under-resourced parents provide a comfortable and enjoyable Christmas for their children," Nelson said.
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Operation Christmas Child
There are multiple Central Missouri drop-off points again this year for Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes.
However, for the first time, there's one this year in Russellville, said Michelle Hale, the operation's area coordinator.
Operation Christmas Child is a project from Samaritan's Purse, an international relief organization. The operation provides local partners around the world with shoe boxes filled with small toys, hygiene items, and school supplies, and seeks to demonstrate God's love through each gift. The age-specific boxes are shipped to children affected by war, poverty, natural disaster, famine and disease.
Visit samaritanspurse.org to order boxes, find out what may be placed in the boxes and locate drop-off points, times and dates.
People filling the boxes should go to the website to find out what's appropriate for inclusion. People are asked not to wrap the boxes. They are also asked to include $9 for shipping.
People needing empty shoe boxes to fill should call Hale at 573-291-8118.
"I got gifted empty shoe boxes this year. I'd like to share them with individuals, churches and community groups," she said.
Last year, the operation in Central Missouri sent 16,050 shoe boxes around the world. Its goal is to send 17,654 this year.
People are encouraged to put a note in the box and personalize it, Hale said.
"Ten or 15 years ago, if you left your address in the box, you might get a letter," she said. "Now, we have people reaching out on social media, like Facebook, to connect. That's kind of cool."
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The Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign
The Salvation Army Center of Hope was continuously busy before the tornado. But, afterward, its shelter has been at capacity almost constantly.
And it is now feeding enough people (who are residents and from the community) that it is serving evening meals twice a day.
Any groups wishing to help serve community meals are encouraged to call the center at 573-635-1975.
Paying for those meals is why the annual Kettle Drive started in San Francisco in 1891. Salvation Army Capt. Joseph McFee borrowed the idea of a "Simpson's Pot" - in which passersby tossed coins into an iron kettle to help poor people in England.
The red Christmas kettle idea quickly spread across the country, then the world.
It's that time of year again.
The Salvation Army will again this winter place kettles at local stores to raise funds to feed the hungry. Volunteers are needed. Individuals or groups who wish to sign up as bell ringers should go to registertoring.com to find opportunities in their area. The Salvation Army is already accepting sign-ups.
You may also sign up to get text messages or email reminders of your bell-ringing shifts.
Salvation Army Capts. Sarah and Justin Windell, the corps officers for The Salvation Army Jefferson City, said the organization is gearing up for its annual campaign.
Some bell-ringing positions are paid. Volunteers will have to check with The Salvation Army to learn more.
The local organization will kick off its annual Red Kettle Campaign at 11 a.m. Nov. 9.
There will again be a bell ring-off between Fechtel Beverage President Bernie Fechtel and his friend Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe (time and place have not been announced). Last year, the two competed outside on West Truman Boulevard and raised $26,121.
Hawthorn and Central banks will again compete to see which can raise the most money during Living Windows on Dec. 5 - in which storefronts in downtown Jefferson City businesses and churches are filled with dancers, singers and holiday themes.
There are to be five chances for people who may need help with Christmas this year to enter The Salvation Army and sign up to receive toys: 1-3 p.m. Oct. 29, 9 a.m.-noon Nov. 2, 1-6 p.m. Nov. 5 and 6, and 1-3 p.m. Nov. 25.
Folks wishing to receive toys should bring identification for all adults in the household, proof of address and proof of a child living in the household. This could be Social Security cards, birth certificates, shot records or school records.
Families who have signed up may, on Dec. 17 and 18, attend "Toy Shop" to receive clothing, books, toys and food so they can have a special Christmas, Salvation Army Capt. Sarah Windell said.
"We are always looking for volunteers to come and help our clients shop in our toy town for their children," Windell said. "If they are not able to come and shop, we are also looking for individuals, families or organizations to take a name or two off our angel trees and shop for those children."
Individuals and organizations are also encouraged to "adopt" a family and shop for that family. Contact The Salvation Army for more information.
"Coat Barrels" are now dispersed in the community. The Salvation Army is asking that people donate new or gently used coats in the barrels through Oct. 27. The coats will be distributed Nov. 5-6.
"This helps us give individuals (who may not be able to buy their own) a coat to keep them safe from the cold weather," Windell said in an email to the News Tribune. "We are seeking all size coats, but mostly need children's and teens' coats."
Locations of barrels to drop the coats in are Williams Keepers, 3220 W. Edgewood Drive; First Presbyterian Church, 324 Madison St.; First United Methodist Church, 201 Monroe St.; Grace Episcopal Church, 217 Adams St.; Mayor Carrie Tergin's office, 320 E. McCarty St.; and The Salvation Army of Jefferson City, 927 Jefferson St.