The holiday season is a time of giving.
The community is invited to spread holiday spirit to children and others through local giving programs, such as the Angel Tree project, toy drives, and food distribution programs.
Colusa County Community Advocates for Parents and Children will once again host the Angel Tree Project, which allows people to purchase a gift specifically for a child living in foster care in Colusa County. They will also assist the California Highway Patrol with the annual CHIPS for Kids Holiday Toy Drive.
“This holiday program is special in that we place barrels in local businesses throughout the county where anyone can donate new, unopened toys for children aged 11 and under, throughout the month of November,” said Morgan Cotter, program assistant, in a news release. “Last year, our agencies were able to provide over 200 children with two gifts each for Christmas. We hope to increase our numbers each year while there is a need.”
Cotter said barrels will be placed at local businesses around the county to collect new, unwrapped toys, which are then collected. Toys will be organized and disbursed to families that apply for the program at a distribution day in December.
For families in need, applications for the annual CHIPS for Kids Holiday Toy Drive will be accepted until 4:30 PM on Dec. 10. If selected, families will be contacted by CAPC on Friday, Dec. 17. Applications can be returned by mail or in person to the CAPC office, located at 131 Fifth St., Colusa. For more information, to get an application, or to return an application by email, contact mcotter@colusacapc.net.
Colusa County CAPC Family Resource Center is also making sure children in foster care get a little extra attention this holiday, by allowing the public to pick a card with a gift suggestion off the Angel Tree.
Gifts must be returned, unwrapped, to the CAPC office by 4:30 PM, Wednesday, Dec. 1.
Of course, it would also not be the holidays without food, and many in Colusa County are in need.
The Ministerial Association of Colusa County will again oversee the Christmas food basket program for Colusa County.
“This comes after operating the program last year, where we provided 604 families with food baskets during the holidays,” said Rev. Jason McMullan. “This year, we are continuing our approach of providing food baskets at churches in each city and community in Colusa County, in order to expand access.”
McMullan said with the sunset of several critical assistance programs this season, coupled with increasing prices on the cost of goods, the need is great this year.
“We are collecting both food and monetary donations, in order to match or surpass last year’s efforts,” he said.
The food stocked for this year’s baskets will come from several sources, including local grocery stores (Sav-Mor and Grocery Outlet), partner food banks, and donations from larger regional grocers, such as Walmart.
“This year, we are also bringing back the canned food drive at our local schools, who will collect non-perishable goods, and bring them to their local distributing church, for sorting,” McMullan said. “The food that schools donate will go directly to support their local community.”
Monetary donations are needed to purchase perishable foods. If you are interested in donating, all tax deductible donations will go directly into the local economy, through purchases from local grocery stores.
Donations may be made online at www.colusamacc.org or mailed to the Ministerial Association of Colusa County, C/O John Vafis, Treasurer, 53 Walnut Tree Drive, Colusa, CA 95932. ■