Local groups provide holiday cheer to those in need
Even in the midst of a global pandemic, several community groups are supporting those who may need a little extra help this holiday season.
At least three local groups have spent the season supporting those in need in Graham County, both old and young. Organizations, community groups and even local businesses have all made efforts to ensure all citizens of the county feel loved and remembered on Christmas Day.
For the second year, the Smoky Mountain Foundation has hosted its Yuletide program, providing gifts to children in need. The organization took the program over from Ruby Turpin at Hosanna Baptist Church, who had overseen it in previous years.
“We work year-round, but the biggest program we have is the Yuletide program,” said Smoky Mountain Foundation Treasurer Maria Shook.
The organization raises money and solicits donations year-round, putting the funds toward gifts for children in the community. Families are selected by an application process.
This year, the foundation was able to support 82 families and approximately 200 children.
“The true meaning of the season is giving, and if you have the means, it’s important to help those who don’t have the means,” Shook said. “It just makes you feel good inside knowing you helped put a smile on a child’s face on Christmas morning.”
In addition to its own Yuletide program, the foundation has helped another local Christmas charity, to the tune of $1,100.
“If we have a little left over from Christmas, then we call the Angel Tree program and we pitch in and try to finish them out,” Shook said.
Shook emphasized that while Yuletide was the organization’s biggest initiative by far, the foundation helped out people in the community year-round.
“We wanted to give back to the community and if we saw a need, we wanted to be able to fill it,” Shook said.
While the foundation does its best to provide a Christmas to some of the county’s youngest citizens, its oldest are not forgotten either.
For the fifth year, the Lady Dragons chapter of the Red Hat Society has held its Gifts from the Heart event, delivering food baskets and gifts to senior citizens in the community. The drive is conducted with the help of the Graham County Sheriff’s Office. This year, the Lady Dragons delivered 27 baskets, two above the 25 basket limit the club had set for itself.
“We just tried to make it a happier holiday for these people, and for some people this is all they get,” said Lady Dragon Deborah Cheney.
She said next year, the group hopes to add more senior citizens to their list.
“There were extra people and I can never say no to anyone,” Cheney said.
The Lady Dragons use a list of senior citizens the sheriff’s office checks on regularly to determine who to provide a basket to.
In addition to the food items, the baskets also contain a gift for the recipient.
This years, gifts were scarves made by members of the Lady Dragons.
“They were thrilled to get that,” Cheney said.
Cheney said it was difficult not being able to interact with the recipients as much, due to COVID-19. However, she said the group still tried to visit with each recipient in a COVID-conscious manner. She specifically remembered one woman she delivered a basket to.
“We stood out on her porch and just talked to her for a while, Cheney said. “It seems to be the senior citizens who are often forgotten.”
Employees of the Robbinsville branch of the United Community Bank also remembered the senior citizens this Christmas, supporting a particular group who has had perhaps the hardest time of all.
In lieu of their annual Holiday party, bank staff banded together to purchase gifts for residents of Graham Healthcare & Rehabilitation.
“We normally will go out as a group or draw names and buy things for one another, but that didn’t feel appropriate this year,” said Branch Manager Pam Shaffer.
Like many nursing homes, Graham Nursing & Rehabilitation Services has been hit hard by the coronavirus.
“We just felt like the old folks home has been Impacted as much or more than anybody, so it felt like the right thing to do,” Shaffer said.
She said the employees were not allowed into the home to hand-deliver their donations, but that they had received a grant deal of support from nursing home staff.
“They seemed very pleased that we were going to do that for their folks,” Shaffer said.
She said the bank staff would likely continue charitable activities at Christmas and emphasized the importance of such projects to the United Community Bank.
“It’s not uncommon for us to find some way to give back,” Shaffer said. “It’s in our culture.”