Holiday baskets deliver a gift to volunteers, too
For more than 70 TIPP CITY — years, volunteers for Needy Basket have provided food and other assistance to local families.
Volunteers during the past week prepared food to distribute to more than 200 families in Tipp City, Monroe Twp. and Bethel Twp. as part of the Christmas Basket Program.
As some volunteers packed cardboard boxes with cans of vegetables and other items Wednesday, other helpers double checked lists for the planned mass “basket” delivery today. Other volunteers rolled carts with meat items to the proper storage areas at the Needy Basket headquarters on South Fifth Street.
Among volunteers were Gerry and Viv Wyen, who have volunteered for more than a dozen years.
“We sort of put all of the pieces together,” Gerry Wyen said.
Another volunteer couple, Don and Nancy McAlexander, interview all applicants for the basket program, then pass the information on to the Wyens to prepare the list used to coordinate deliveries.
Cardboard boxes packed with cans of corn, cranberry sauce, cereal, candy canes, popcorn, stuffing mix and other items are filled and numbered, ready for volunteers to grab as they fill delivery orders with the amount of food based on family size. Baskets also include dinner rolls; ham, turkey or turkey breast, depending on the number of people to be served; and fresh produce.
The food for the Christmas program is donated or purchased by Needy Basket, said John Brenner, a volunteer since 2004.
“We’ve been at this business for a long time, and we get smarter every year,” he said.
Families also get toys for children up to age 10, and older kids get $50 gift cards.
Marilyn McClurg, another long-time volunteer, and her helpers obtain toys and games from Toys for Tots, donations and purchases for the young children.
Vouchers for the local Clothesline store for all family members also are included.
An army of helpers — many with years of experience — roll in at 8 a.m. delivery morning, and deliveries usually are done by 11:30 a.m.
“This is a neat program. We’ve been doing this 13 years. It gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling. You are helping people that really need it,” Gerry Wyen said.
This year, the Christmas Basket Program served 436 adults and 306 children, families ranging in size from one to 11.
Needy Basket also offers a year-round food program that serves an average of 100 to 125 families per month. Recipients must meet income guidelines, said Jim Sommer, Needy Basket coordinator.
For more information on the program visit www. needybasket.org.