Planning underway for annual children’s Christmas party

In the heat of August, with summer activities in full swing and school on the horizon, most people aren’t thinking about Christmas. But I am. I’m already well into planning the annual Christmas party for the area’s needy children. I’m already thinking about the food baskets we give to struggling families.

Last year, more than 300 children came to the party. They sat on Santa’s lap, got their faces painted with stars and reindeer antlers, rushed to make their picks from hundreds of stuffed animals and watched a magician. They ate pizza and hamburgers. Their parents went home with bags of presents, plus tape and wrapping paper.

Days later, we delivered nearly 200 boxes of food — turkeys, hams, all the sides, milk, eggs, cereal, cookies, baby formula and more.

I’m so grateful to be able to do this. How did it start?

In 1983, I was a member of the local Moose Lodge. I wanted a community service project, so I went to see John Durkin, then a detective with the Pottstown Police Department. He talked to me about things that I could do. One was to help underprivileged kids. It resonated with me.

So that year, we worked with the county agency, Children and Youth Services, and others in the community. We hosted about 75 children for a Christmas party and provided food baskets for about 80 families. Getting money donated and volunteers to help was a challenge. But it worked. And after that, it grew.

What kept me going all this time — this year will be the 36th — was my determination to help our community and its children. I see a lot of poverty, and it affects me in that I know we have to try harder and do better. It’s been difficult sometimes, sure, but I never felt like giving up. Six years ago, I lost my son. That gave me even more drive to help because he was one of my inspirations.

Every year, as I watch the festivity at the party, or the bustle of volunteers filling food boxes, I think about how blessed and how fortunate I am with our committee and how we raised the funds.

Just seeing the smiles on the children’s faces — and children don’t leave without coming up and saying thank you — that’s the biggest gift of all. Or when you deliver food baskets, and a child comes to the door and says, “Mommy, look! We’ve got cookies, we’ve got hot chocolate!” Things they don’t normally get. That’s what lets me know our committee is doing the right thing.

We owe a debt of gratitude to so many — our foundation people; the police departments that donate bicycles as door prizes and do so much more; our community for helping us make this project move forward.

At first, we had just a skeleton crew. But over the years, dozens of volunteers have worn elf costumes for the party and rolled up their sleeves to fill food boxes. Kathy D’Alessandro has been with me from the beginning. Doris Griesemer was there. Some years ago, Karen Reed joined us.

I can’t list all the donors, but some of the ones who have been with us for years include Dana United Auto Workers Local 644, Dana UAW retirees, SeaStar Solutions, Tri-County Toyota, U.S. Axle, the Comfort Inn and Spring City’s Tom Reed. Chuck Gulati of the Sunnybrook Ballroom has become a big sponsor. The Pottstown NAACP and its president, Johnny Corson, have helped our project move forward.

Last year, one of the big things the children loved was the face painters from the Hill School. They and Hobart Run don’t let our community down and we are blessed to have them on our team.

I’m grateful to all of these people because they know the need is out there, and they’re willing to help.

Now, we are going to be even stronger because we are starting a non-profit foundation, Pottstown Area Children’s Foundation. Our 501c3 tax-exempt status is pending. Ultimately, we want to take care of needy children throughout the year, not just at Christmas. Our goal is to not let any children do without. We will turn nobody away, as long as we have the help and donations that we need.

So, yes, even though it’s summer, I’m thinking of winter. Of the children’s party. Of how many families we need to feed.

I can’t change poverty. No single person in the world can change poverty. But Jim Frymoyer and his committee are going to do the best we can to help. If you’d like to join us, call me at 484-363-0638.