HURON Huron volunteers, Huron Police, and Salvation Army staff distributed their annual Christmas baskets to families in need on Wednesday at the Peoples Transit bus barn.
According to Salvation Army Lt. Justin Bluer relayed that 189 families received Christmas baskets this year and 450 children received Angel Tree gifts. This has gone up significantly, as Bluer shared that in 2022, the Christmas basket program had 79 families participate, with 200 children receiving Angel Tree gifts, so the need has significantly increased in the community.
At the same time, the giving has slowed down.
One of the things that really concerned me is that with the increase in signups, weve had less donations this year from the community and also from churches and businesses in town, Bluer stated. He noted that Salvation Army had to dip into its budget to cover the extra food and other items needed for Christmas baskets, but in doing so, they found out that Coborns had received less donations for the basket program from area sponsors than in past years.
Giving during the Christmas Basket program in early December was notably lower than in previous years, and collection from bell-ringers in town have also been lower than typical. He cited multiple potential reasons for both the increase in need and the decrease in giving, but he also explained that the Christmas basket does not end the Salvation Armys contributions to those in need throughout the year.
The food pantry at Salvation Army has seen a notable uptick in usage as well, and it is utilized year-round. Donations of goods and funds to assist with purchasing items for the pantry help to keep those services available for those who need it in Huron.
Leave a Reply