Christmas assistance numbers down
Bags for one family sat ready to be picked up at the Prairie du Chien United Methodist Church, the site where the Salvation Army coordinates its annual Christmas program. The program benefits mostly children and some adults who can’t afford to buy Christmas gifts.
Winter clothing and toys were piled high on tables in the basement of Hoffman Hall during the Prairie du Chien Jaycees’ annual Crawford County Operation Santa distribution. Each year, children in need receive a warm winter hat and mittens, along with a toy and/or chamber dollars as part of the program. Each family also receives food items and coupons for free groceries to cook a Christmas dinner.
By Correne Martin
The bell ringers of the Salvation Army have retired to their cozy homes and the enterprise that is Operation Santa has disengaged for yet another year.
For 2016, the Salvation Army Christmas program served 63 families, including 179 children and 84 adults, according to coordinator Jen Kapinus. Each received gifts purchased and wrapped by sponsors. On Dec. 12, the sponsored families picked up their bags and boxes of gifts at the Prairie du Chien United Methodist Church. There were also 13 families that went unsponsored this year, but Kapinus said the 30 children within those families received gifts from Salvation Army’s remaining Red Kettle funds from bell ringing in 2015.
The Prairie du Chien Jaycees gathered once again to distribute warm winter clothing and toys collected from across Crawford County for the annual Operation Santa program. Distribution events were Dec. 9 and 10 at Hoffman Hall.
According to Tori Pettera, of the Jaycees, 110 families were served by distribution this year.
Tarah Marx, also of the Jaycees, said the organization has yet to hold a follow-up meeting but that the number of families served is down from previous years. The Salvation Army’s numbers were also down this year, Kapinus said. Both speculated about the reason for the decrease in those benefitting from local assistance and wondered, with hope, if there might be less of a need for area families this year.
