The Voluntary Action Council held their first meeting of the year concerning the West Liberty Christmas box program on Thursday night, Oct. 19.
The distribution will be held Friday and Saturday, Dec. 15-16, at First Church United in West Liberty. Applications will be available at any school in the West Liberty School District as well as the West Liberty food pantry at the church and a variety of local businesses beginning Nov. 1. Applications are due by Nov. 30.
“We have no idea how many families will receive boxes until after the application deadline. It’s too early to say exactly what is happening,” said Prescilla Haessig, organizer for the program She said typically the schools hold food drives during this period as well, but noted she hasn’t heard officially if that’s going to happen. West Liberty Foods will be donating 50 turkey breasts and the group plans to purchasing hams, potatoes and milk from Jeff’s Market.
The process of food sorting and packing boxes will take place on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 8-9, to be accomplished by volunteers. Members of the West Liberty Aquarius Club will once again host their Star Trees for toy giving at Midwest One Bank and West Liberty State Bank starting during the Holiday Open House weekend in late November. Toys are needed by Saturday, Dec. 9. Aquarius members will meet to bag the toys for families on Tuesday, Dec. 12, at First Church United.
Fruit will be purchased from the West Liberty FFA Chapter to be delivered to a list of senior citizens in West Liberty, Nichols, and Atalissa, as well as the surrounding rural areas. Rotary Club of West Liberty and West Liberty Lions Club members help with some deliveries on Friday of the distribution weekend, but it is mainly a drive up event.
Rotary is again in charge of the coat giveaway project, and it was decided to host that project the weekend of the Holiday Open House, Nov. 18-19. That distribution will be at St. Joseph’s Parish Life Center in West Liberty. Churches typically collect hats, gloves and scarves donations from parishioners. Haessig said that collection is approximately two weeks earlier than past years; so it doesn’t give much time for churches to collect outwear donations.