CRESWELL – With the holidays a thing of last year, you may be wishing you could go back and relive stories of holiday cheer and generosity.
In Creswell, one giving effort stands out among the rest: The Creswell School District’s Season of Giving program.
This season, the program reached a record high of 97 families and 266 kids, an increase from 89 families and 223 kids in 2021.
Season of Giving is a partnership between the Creswell Church of Christ, Creswell Food4Kids and the Family Resource Center at CSD.
Helping families move from “surviving to thriving” is the resource center’s ultimate goal.
The Season of Giving program starts each year in mid-November when applications for the program are sent to families enrolled in the school district, preschool promise or the Creswell Family Relief Nursery.
“We really want to reduce barriers for everyone,” said Kathryn Dumas, coordinator of the Family Resource Center.
Requirements to qualify for the Season of Giving Program is to live in Creswell, attend school in Creswell and have a need.
Once applications have been processed, the Creswell Church of Christ fills out ‘angel tags’ which are placed at The Bean Hopper and Blue Valley Bistro, who are business partners of the program.
While grabbing a cup of coffee, community members are encouraged to take a tag with a child’s name to purchase a gift for that child.
“We’ve gotten really positive feedback from most of our families. It’s really a community effort and it’s amazing what our community comes back with,” said Dumas.
Community donors include Eastern Star, Emerald Valley Dental, United Way, Toys for Tots, KNND radio, Pace Fitness and Creswell residents the Hoffstots.
“We filled the entire boardroom with gifts this year … Our community is amazing and shows up every year,” said Dumas.
As the New Year moved forward, Dumas will check in with families to see if there’s anything else they need help with.
“I love getting to know the families and putting a name to a face to a need that we can follow up with later,” she said.
