Volunteers under the guidance of the Sawtooth Board of Realtors will be wrapping up an annual distribution of holiday gift baskets at the Hailey Armory on Saturday.
After some 15 years in the capable hands of ad hoc volunteers like Janice Duncan and Heather Gillespie, last year the program fell to the SBR, who scrambled to assemble packages of food and gifts for families in need, said Janine Bear, of Cornerstone Realty. Bear, the current president of the board, took up the program with Rick Davis of Sun Valley Title Company, who called an emergency meeting last winter to keep the Community Holiday Gift Baskets program afloat.
Andrea Van Every created a computer program to help coordinate what has become a valley-wide effort between many companies, organizations and individuals.
By the end of the day, Wednesday, Bear said gift baskets had been promised to 290 families with more waiting in the wings.
About 170 applications were distributed through St. Luke's Center for Community Health. Still more were picked up through the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare office, Head Start, the Advocates for Survivors of Domestic Violence and other organizations.
"It is one of the best community initiatives in the valley," said Erin Hart of St. Luke's.
"We still have a minimum of 30 families that have not been adopted, and a waiting list," Bear said.
Bear said she felt confident she could still find people to adopt families, however. Some individuals and organizations have adopted as many as 10 families to help supply their needs and requests.
"We need shoppers," Bear said.
The baskets are being put together at the armory. Ketchum, Sun Valley and Hailey Rotary clubs have paid for gift certificates to be redeemed at Williams and Atkinson's markets, which are supplying perishable food.
Anyone interested in making a donation can do so through the SBR Community Foundation, P.O. Box 1937, Ketchum 83340.
"Donations are tax-deductible," Bear said. Donations are still being accepted to help serve people on the waiting lists. "There may be emergencies that come up. If we have the means we'll take care of them."
Donations can be made at any real-estate office in the valley. Material donations can go straight to the armory or people can call Bear at 720-1254 or Rick Davis at 727-7728.
