Christmas Basket delivery set Dec. 16
Table-top Christmas trees sporting bright ornaments greeted parishioners in seven local churches this past Sunday, and between them, the seven trees included the anonymous wish lists of each of the 36 teens enrolled in the Ministerial Alliance’s new “Believe Trees” program.
Members of the Alliance offered to take over the lead role in the teen Christmas gift program, and are now spearheading that holiday drive along with continuing their annual Christmas Baskets ministry.
Christmas Baskets
This year around 80 families applied for the holiday food baskets, and the Alliance member churches are working on raising the funds required to purchase plenty of groceries, and placing food orders with Brookshire’s and Sams.
Most of the items are bought from the local grocery store, but Brookshire’s can not get the pre-cooked turkey breasts, so they are ordered from Abilene.
Last year, the Alliance provided 84 families with ingredients for a Christmas meal through the program, and after all of the forms are turned in this year, they expect the numbers to be very similar.
Applicants were asked if they wanted a raw turkey, cooked turkey breast, or ham. The Christmas baskets also include vegetables and other various grocery items needed for the recipients to prepare a holiday meal.
The food will be delivered between 2:00 and 5:00 p.m. on the afternoon of Sunday, Dec. 16, and families that requested home delivery need to make sure that someone will be at the listed address that afternoon until the food is delivered.
“The baskets contain perishable items that could be damaged by the weather or by stray animals,” said Alliance secretary Tisha Wilkins. “They can not just be left on a doorstep, so someone needs to be there to answer the door.”
Donations to help fund the Christmas baskets can be mailed to the Ministerial Alliance, PO Box 3084, Albany, Texas 76430, or handed to any of the ministers in the Alliance.
Volunteers will be needed to help assemble the baskets and to deliver the boxes of food in Albany and Moran on Sunday, Dec. 16.
Believe Trees
“Believe Trees,” similar to the Angel Trees used in many communities, were decorated with information about items that underprivileged local teens are hoping to receive this Christmas, and placed in various churches so that the teens could be anonymously adopted.
Thirty-six teens, including 28 from Albany and eight from Moran, were enrolled in the “Believe Tree” gift program this year.
“The number of teens may increase,” said Alliance secretary Tisha Wilkins. “Some names were turned in without wish lists, so I was not able to add them to a tree yet. I am hoping to get some more information on what they could use, and include them.”
Wilkins said that people who picked up an ornament do not need to get everything listed.
“The gifts can vary,” Wilkins said. “The list is just to give donors some ideas. You don’t have to fulfill all of the wish list.”
The unwrapped gifts, with the tag and gift receipts attached, should be returned to the same Believe Tree by Friday, Dec. 7.
“We need to have time to wrap the gifts and have them ready to be picked up on Wednesday, Dec. 12,” Wilkins explained.
Parents should pick up their child’s gifts at The Feed Store between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 12.
If parents are working during those hours, they can call The Feed Store at 325-762-4960, or Wilkins at 325-660-7443 to arrange to pick up the gifts when someone is at The Feed Store.
“We are trying to make sure that all of our local teens have a good Christmas without embarrassing anyone, so the wish lists on the trees are anonymous,” said Wilkins. “The high school students that wrap the gifts will also only have a number, not a name, to put on the present.”
