Area nonprofit organizations are making spirits brighter with holiday giving.
Margie Aitken, envoy commanding officer of the Salvation Army, Oneonta Corps, oversees the organization’s Angel Tree program, begun more than 30 years ago.
Aitken said she relies on dedicated volunteers to execute the program, which is on track to serve more than 400 children this year. The program, she said, assists “kids up to and including 12.”
“We have, fortunately, some long-term volunteers who actually taught me how to run the program,” she said. “And they’re incredible; they know the program inside and out. We have workers out ringing the bells and separate ones in the workshop and ones putting food baskets together and people taking applications. There’s a whole slew of volunteers that we count on and, without them, we would be facing a much, much more difficult task, so we’re very grateful. We have about 30 volunteers throughout this time that help in a great deal of ways.”
Reciprocally, Aitken said, community support has kept the program robust.
“We have extremely generous people in Oneonta,” she said. “We are just so blessed to have the kind of people we do in Oneonta. They help keep us running, so the longevity of our program is exactly that: the generosity of those who can help, knowing there are people out there who just need a little bit of help.
“I do know there are other places where it’s more challenging (to maintain such programs), so we are very grateful for our donors in Oneonta,” Aitken continued. “People leave us endowments in their wills, and that’s very helpful to keep our program operational and provide the kind of support to the people of Oneonta that we can. Angel Trees are out in stores now and people can pick up (tags) at several banks, grocery stores, Walmart, BJs, Hannaford … and, if they don’t want to actually buy toys or they’d like to donate to us, they can text 31333 or, if they see the kettle stands out there, there’s actually a QR code or Apple Pay or Google Pay.”
In Delhi, Reagan Reed oversees the Delhi Children’s Christmas Fund but said she, too, relies on many helpers.
“It’s under the Delhi Community Fund, because the Christmas Fund itself is not a 501©3, so we are sponsored by the Delhi Community Fund,” she said. “This organization is basically operated by myself, as the chair, and then Kim Eighmey is the co-chair. Barbara (Sturdevant) does the treasury.
“This started out as a Delaware County-wide organization and, at some point, my husband’s grandmother took over the organization with her daughters and, about 15 years ago, I took over,” Reed continued. “There is a group I call ‘Santa’s Little Helpers’ that helps us shop for this organization. We all go shopping the Sunday before pickup day, and pickup day is at the Alliance Church in Delhi. These shoppers make it possible, and also our community that does all the donations. I put an ad in the paper and post on social media, then people send donations directly to Barb, so it’s solely community-funded and I think that’s important; that’s a big part of the machine. Without the community, we wouldn’t be able to do it.”
Reed said the program serves children from infancy through 17.
Linda Striegler manages Sidney’s longtime giving program, Operation Merry Christmas. Started in the early 1940s by Lucretia D’Imperio, the program was overseen for recent decades by Ginny Ireland, who died this year.
“We have a board of five, so it’s a core group on the board, then our tried-and-true volunteer elves,” Striegler said. “It’s a group of 12 of us total.”
Striegler, too, said Operation Merry Christmas relies on community-wide collaboration.
“ACCO did close this year, but they managed to sneak us a donation before they closed, which was wonderful, because that was one of our biggest donors, and we’re not going to have them going forward,” she said. “We have found other businesses to step up and fill that gap a little bit and, just earlier today (Dec. 5), we received word that the Sidney Federal Credit Union has purchased an extra 50-plus pairs of boots for us. So, we’re seeing a lot more of that.
“People are aware and helping, and we added quite a few new businesses, which has been fun, and we’re continuing to cement and expand our list of businesses that host trees,” Striegler continued. “Waste Recovery Enterprises did a tree this year, and same with Delaware Valley Humane Society, and they’re a nice addition and they have their own needs, but they’re helping us, so that’s awesome. A local dentist, Michelle Gifford, donated toothbrushes and toothpaste for everyone, and the Elks gave us a donation when one of our pillars passed this year – Ginny Ireland. She’s been running the program for as long as I’ve been alive. There’s a certain kind of sadness this year, because it’s the first without Ginny, but that (donation) came in earlier in the year … to buy stuff when it goes on clearance, so we try to be very thrifty shoppers.”
Sources said, while they have target demographics, program missions go beyond boundaries.
“Delaware County bumps right into Oneonta, so we’re certainly not going to turn anyone with an Oneonta address away,” Aitken said. “If someone is coming from another town, we’re going to ask them if they’ve sought help in their local area before we take care of them but, that being said, if for some reason their local area can’t support them and we have the ability, then we will.”
Striegler said Operation Merry Christmas covers “primarily Sidney, Unadilla, Bainbridge and Afton, but, obviously, we do hit a couple outlier towns like Sidney Center and Masonville, but it’s basically those four school districts.”
“It’s the greater Delhi area, and I will help out any family from the surrounding area, but it’s mainly focused on the children of Delhi,” Reed said. “With that said, anyone who reaches out to me, I’ll be of service.” She said distribution day, for those who signed up, takes place from noon to 1, Sunday, Dec. 15.
Sources said while need hasn’t increased pervasively, it is changing.
“This year, the numbers are down,” Reed said. “We typically shop for anywhere from 50 to 100 kids and, this year, we only have 60 so far. This year is a lower number than we’ve had in several years and I don’t know what that’s about — if it’s a good thing, because, maybe, there are less people in need, or people are feeling too prideful to ask for help — but everybody needs a little help, so I think it’s important to know it’s OK to ask.
“One thing that motivates me to keep it going is, a lot of these kids’ wish lists include winter coats, hats, gloves, a blanket,” Reed continued. “So, I think it just makes it clear that people are in need, and it feels good to support those people.”
“It is (rising); as the prices of everything goes up, so does the costs to keep yourself sustained,” Aitken said. “There are a lot of people who just can’t do it without help. So, yeah, we’ve had more calls of people who are looking, still, at this point, saying ‘Can I sign up?’ so, it’s quite a number. And it’s the same thing (with donations); as expenses go up, one of the places people cut down is some of their donations.
“I know that some of our applications are down a little, but, at the same time, the number of people calling us is way up,” she continued. “I expect a very large turnout on the 19th, which will put us over what we had last year. There were about 400 kids last year, and I know we’re heading for a little more than that.”
Aitken said those who didn’t sign up in the designated window “can come on December 19, bring ID for everybody in the household and we’ll do the best we can do.” Distribution, at the Salvation Army’s 25 River St., Oneonta site, will begin at 10 a.m. on that Thursday. “It’s from 10 until either everyone is taken care of or we can’t take care of anymore,” she said. “So far, we’ve never run into that, and we’re hoping that is still the case.”
“I don’t think our number of kids has gone up all that much this year,” Striegler said. “About 275 kids is where we’re going to land, which is about 130 families. But what we’re seeing is more of a need for the big things: winter clothing — in particular boots — and there’s a big need for socks this year. We are doing a lot of books this year, which is really exciting, so every kid will be getting at least one or multiple books.”
Operation Merry Christmas helps kids 10 and younger, Striegler noted.
Planning for such drives, sources said, begins well before the holiday season.
“We start thinking Christmas in July,” Aitken said. “What will happen is, as soon as Christmas is over, I will look back and evaluate where we are, what we’ve done, what dates are on the calendar, and I will put everything together for next year’s dates in January. It is kind of a year-round process; I talk to the kettle workers and volunteers and donors all year. We make sure we’re in contact with them around the calendar, because you can’t wait until October to say, ‘Hey, we need money for Christmas.’”
Aitken said program signups happen from mid-October through the first week of November.
“People miss it each year, and I know it’s difficult, because they’re not thinking Christmas at that point, but the logistics of it require that we start that early to make sure we have everything in place,” she said.
Reed said she begins the process in August.
“The letters are sent out in the fall, then asked to come back around the time of Thanksgiving,” she said in a Dec. 4 interview. “That (window) closed as of this week, because we’re going shopping this weekend, but stragglers come in inevitably, and I go back and shop alone or send someone who can do it.”
The Delhi-area program, Reed said, differs slightly from others in its approach.
“We are different than Toys for Tots in that we ask for money, because we have specific wish lists from these families and we try to fulfill them,” she said. “It’s become a lot more streamlined over the years.
“Essentially, we spend $75 per kid on their wish list, then we also supply wrapping and Scotch tape and labels,” Reed continued. “We used to do a food basket, but now we do a Price Chopper gift card, because people really like to purchase their own food, so this year we’re raising that from $50 to $75, and we raised up the price we can do for children from $50 to $75 last year for the gifts.”
“The board meets year-round,” Striegler said. “The actual signup window starts September 1 every year and runs until October 31, so obviously, we’re tweaking and preparing for signups in August. We try to get most of our tags written and up in the community by the fifth or sixth of November, is the goal. We’re always learning, but we’re kind of in our groove in many ways as an organization.
“Gifts are due back by December 1, which sounds crazy, but we need a little time to get things packed and organized and ready for families to pick up,” she continued. “We try to leave an extra weekend before Christmas because of snow, so our giveaway is the 13th and 14th.”
Find more information on drives and organizations featured at “OMC Sidney” on Facebook or by calling the Salvation Army of Oneonta at 607-432-5960. Also, contact Barb Sturdevant with the Delhi Community Fund at 607-746-6233 or send donations year-round to 13 Second St., Delhi.