COLUMBUS, Ind. — The United Way of Bartholomew County Holiday Helpline will begin taking registrations Monday — and coordinators still could use more volunteers for the effort that will run through Dec. 4 to provide needy families with toys and food during the holidays.
Holiday Helpline registers people for the Community Center of Hope Angel Tree, Firemen’s Cheer Fund, Shop with a Cop and the Love Chapel Holiday Food Pantry, Toys For Tots, and the St. Bartholomew Giving Tree.
Plus, staff with two other local programs reaching hundreds of needy young people do their own registration: the Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center Angels of Love and the Salvation Army Angel Tree. But those names are included in the Holiday Helpline database to avoid duplication of services to families, according to organizers.
Diane Doup, community outreach coordinator for the neighborhood center, said registrations for the Angels of Love outreach, which began nearly two weeks ago, are running slightly ahead of previous years. She said that could indicate a greater community need overall. The program, working alongside St. Peter’s Lutheran Church and others, annually provides toys to more than 500 youngsters.
For more on this story, see Tuesday’s Republic.
