Faith plays a big part in Christmas Fund

The Christmas Fund and Christmas Bureau operate on faith.

The Christmas Fund depends totally on generous people and businesses in the community responding to the request for donations. Bureau organizers never know how many needy people will come to the fairgrounds asking for toys and food vouchers. Yet, year after year, it works out.

Thousands of toys are ordered in the summer, long before the fund has raised the money to pay for them. The food vouchers are distributed and used by recipients, before the fund has the means to reimburse the stores. But the money raised through the Christmas Fund has always covered the costs of the toys and food vouchers.

Many people associated with the holiday charity attribute the success to the generous nature of the community.

“We see how critical every donation is,” said Mike Reilly, volunteer chairman of the bureau. “In order for a brief, once-a-year effort to be a success, we need the whole community to respond. We have been fortunate to see that.”

Donations of all amounts are welcome. It’s not uncommon for children to drop off bags of pennies at the newspaper, or for parents to send checks for amounts under $10 from their children. For example, last year several children jointly donated $9.04 that they had earned doing chores.

Every year, donations of $10 and $15 are sent with notes expressing regret that the donor couldn’t give more. Occasionally, people will mail back the food voucher that they were given at the bureau with a note: They saw so many people at the fairgrounds who were much poorer, they write. They ask that the Christmas Fund give the voucher to another needy family.

Hundreds of donations are made in amounts ranging from $5 to $50.

“It’s so exciting to see so many people making donations, whether it’s $5 or several thousand dollars,” Reilly said. “It really all counts. We need the funds to do the program, but even more we need a strong sense of a community effort reflected by the number of people who donate.”

The average cost of the toys this year is under $10 each, according to the volunteer toy buyers, Judy Theis and Janelle Kortlever.

The toys would retail for much more, but the bureau gets them for less by preordering and working directly with the toy manufacturers.

“You don’t have to be a big donor. This community effort enables everyone to reach out and help others,” Reilly said. “Every $10 given buys a toy for a needy child.”

The donors and their donations will be reported daily in the newspaper. Donors who wish to remain anonymous should indicate their wishes on their donation check or in an accompanying note.

Following are the donors and their donations:

An anonymous donor, of Spokane, gave $1,750.

Esther and Fredrik Nelson, of Spokane Valley, sent $500, as did an anonymous donor, also of Spokane.

Peter and Mary Lou Bach, of Spokane, donated $300.

An anonymous donor, of Spokane, brought $200 to the newspaper.

Larene Habeman, of Spokane, sent $150.

An anonymous donor, of Spokane, sent $125.

Tom Highland and Barbara Crawford, of Spokane, gave $100, as did Mr. and Mrs. William Selzer, Anita and Donald Secor, and two anonymous donors, all of Spokane.

An anonymous donor, of Spokane, sent $50.

Raymond, Liz, Lauren and Kiley Schatz, of Spokane, sent $43 in memory of Karen Schatz Dunning. “She would have been 43 years old this year,” they wrote.

Tracy Howe, of Spokane, donated $25, as did Bill and Dianne Kersey, and Victor Buksbazen, both of Spokane, and the McCoy family, of Veradale.

An anonymous donor, of Liberty Lake, gave $10.