thedrifter
12-22-08, 07:31 AM
December 22, 2008
'A brighter Christmas'
Jesus Cares makes holiday season happier for hundreds of families
By William Johnson
wjohnson@dailyworld.com
More than 450 families will have a brighter Christmas this year thanks to Jesus Cares, which Saturday distributed gift boxes to families throughout St. Landry Parish.
Angela Angelle, Jesus Cares coordinator, said, thanks to an outpouring of support from the community, the group was able to help more families than usual this year.
She said that help, from food donations by local suppliers and supermarkets to cash donations from area banks and other businesses, is especially needed this year.
"Times are very tough this year. Without this support, a lot of families would have nothing for Christmas," Angelle said.
She said each family received a food box plus toys for the children and clothes for adults.
"What each family received was based on the size of the family," Angelle said. "But every family received a hen for their Christmas dinner."
Children 12 and up also received an age-appropriate toy and families with younger children were signed up with the Toys for Tots program, which run by the U.S. Marine Corps.
"We really need to thank the Marines for their help. With their help we were able to put smiles on the faces of a lot of children this year," Angelle said.
Jesus Cares has been helping out needy local families for 20 years. Angelle said the program began with the efforts of Tom Daily and Mark Stout but has in recent years been coordinated by the New Life Center, a women's and children's shelter in Opelousas.
"Their vision was to help our community and that is just what we have done," Angelle said.
She praised the efforts of everyone who helped this year, including volunteers from many area schools and businesses. "Evangeline Downs (Racetrack and Casino) had a big drive for us this year," Angelle said.
She said some of the families that had signed up for this year's program were not able to pick up their gift boxes on Saturday.
For them, a distribution center at the T.H. Harris Louisiana Technical College campus in Opelousas will be open from noon to 3 p.m. both Monday and Tuesday.
For more information on Jesus Cares, call the New Life Center at 948-3161.
Ellie
'A brighter Christmas'
Jesus Cares makes holiday season happier for hundreds of families
By William Johnson
wjohnson@dailyworld.com
More than 450 families will have a brighter Christmas this year thanks to Jesus Cares, which Saturday distributed gift boxes to families throughout St. Landry Parish.
Angela Angelle, Jesus Cares coordinator, said, thanks to an outpouring of support from the community, the group was able to help more families than usual this year.
She said that help, from food donations by local suppliers and supermarkets to cash donations from area banks and other businesses, is especially needed this year.
"Times are very tough this year. Without this support, a lot of families would have nothing for Christmas," Angelle said.
She said each family received a food box plus toys for the children and clothes for adults.
"What each family received was based on the size of the family," Angelle said. "But every family received a hen for their Christmas dinner."
Children 12 and up also received an age-appropriate toy and families with younger children were signed up with the Toys for Tots program, which run by the U.S. Marine Corps.
"We really need to thank the Marines for their help. With their help we were able to put smiles on the faces of a lot of children this year," Angelle said.
Jesus Cares has been helping out needy local families for 20 years. Angelle said the program began with the efforts of Tom Daily and Mark Stout but has in recent years been coordinated by the New Life Center, a women's and children's shelter in Opelousas.
"Their vision was to help our community and that is just what we have done," Angelle said.
She praised the efforts of everyone who helped this year, including volunteers from many area schools and businesses. "Evangeline Downs (Racetrack and Casino) had a big drive for us this year," Angelle said.
She said some of the families that had signed up for this year's program were not able to pick up their gift boxes on Saturday.
For them, a distribution center at the T.H. Harris Louisiana Technical College campus in Opelousas will be open from noon to 3 p.m. both Monday and Tuesday.
For more information on Jesus Cares, call the New Life Center at 948-3161.
Ellie