Begin a new holiday tradition. If your family is not already one of the many who practice charitable giving as a matter of course, this year is the perfect time to make it a priority. Fortuitously, many opportunities are presented throughout the holidays to reach out to as many people as possible.
December began with the 15th annual Papoose Club's Holiday Bazaar. This long-running event is one of several the group puts on each year to raise money for local youth-oriented concerns. At more than 50 years old, this stalwart organization is the grandmama of grassroots nonprofit groups in the valley. To make a tax-deductible donation, call 726-6642 or visit www.papooseclub.org.
Locally, students in the valley's schools have been collecting food to donate to the Hunger Coalition, while the annual Community Holiday Basket program is helping to bring holidays cheer to more than 290 families. Another 25 families are on the Holiday Basket waiting list. The applications were limited to just Blaine County residents this year, one of the organizers, Sara Gorham, said.
"We've tried to bring a lot of people—Head Start, Health & Welfare, Social Services—in under the same umbrella because in past years there was a lot of duplication of effort. The Hunger Coalition gave a large cash donation to the cause."
Approximately 30 students (and parents) with the Blaine County Teen Advisory Council shopped last weekend in Twin Falls for families who hadn't yet been adopted, Gorham said.
"This has been a huge crunch in past years. These families may still be adopted," she said. "We've told people on the waiting list that with cash donations we can still get them food baskets and for those with small children toys from the October Toy Run may be available. We just want to help them have some kind of Christmas."
There are plenty of volunteer opportunities available. Volunteer coordinator Frances Nagashima said manpower is really needed. Beginning at 4 p.m., Friday, Dec. 9, volunteers will be needed at the Hailey Atkinsons' loading dock to help move 600 boxes of food. On Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., help is needed to do sorting at the Hailey Armory. On Monday, the hours for dropping off gifts and sorting are 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. At 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, people can join the food box assembly line. Then, distribution will be on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 17 and 18. People are needed to help carry boxes to cars for delivery.
To volunteer, call Nagashima at 727-8735 or just show up. For more information on the Holiday Baskets or to adopt a family, call the Sawtooth Board of Realtors at 726-7764, Gorham at 622-2700, or Janine Bear at 788-2646.
There are additional opportunities to be charitable this season:
· The Roosevelt Tavern and the Sawtooth Club restaurants are holding their second annual local charity drive through Tuesday, Dec. 20. During the three weeks of the drive, the two Ketchum restaurants will donate 15 percent of their lunch and dinner sales to the Blaine County Senior Center, Camp Rainbow Gold, Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, Environmental Resource Center, Advocates for Survivors of Domestic Violence, Idaho Conservation League, the Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley, Pioneer Montessori School, Citizens for Smart Growth, Sun Valley Adaptive Sports and Idaho Rivers United. Last year more than $6,000 was donated to valley nonprofit groups.
· The third annual Alternative Holiday Gift Fair, hosted by St. Thomas Episcopal Church, is 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, in conjunction with the Festival of Trees at nexstage Theatre in Ketchum. A very direct way of helping people out, the event features nonprofit groups that offer opportunities to buy a helpful gift, such as a monthly Peak Bus pass, for someone in need.
· The Family Connection Project in Hailey was founded by Julianne Fischman in September 2005. Picking up where the Community Baskets program leaves off, this is an ongoing opportunity to make a difference in families' lives. Her idea is simple: A sponsor offers a box of necessities monthly to a matched-up recipient family.
"I was involved in other charities and wanted to take that up a notch and see what I can do to help local families," Fischman said. "My mission is to assist families in need in our own community. I've always thought globally and acted globally. It was easier and removed. It's hard to realize it's going in this rich country, and even my own backyard. I've been speaking with referral sources from other agencies in the valley. I now have 18 families and I need sponsors.
"A sponsor can be anybody—a business can be a sponsor, a class. I have a preschool, families, a book club. The beauty of a group is the monetary output is so small per person. I'd love to see more classrooms, business and clubs sponsor a family. It's a wonderful teaching tool for kids on giving back. It's to try to fill in the gap with things that food stamps don't cover or are not donated, like diapers and wipes. Things that all of us deserve to have for nothing more than our pride and dignity."
Fischman said she does financial screenings for all the recipient families and "follow up every month to make sure they're continually eligible, and that's also for the integrity of the program."
For more information, call Fischman at 788-1779.
· The Community Library in Ketchum has begun its annual fund drive. Tax deductible donations help support new book acquisitions, services in the Regional History Department, magazine and newspaper subscriptions and other programs. The Gold Mine, a Ketchum thrift store, has been partially supporting the library since its inception in 1955. Today it provides two-thirds of the library's operating expenses with the rest made up by donors. The library still does not charge any lending or late fees.
Baring all these opportunities, here's another idea for people seeking to help: Donate land to The Nature Conservancy or Wood River Land Trust, instead of building on it. The tax deduction is a bonus, and it's a true gift that keeps on giving.
Papoose Club members in 1971, included from the front, Carolyn Behse, Charlene Wills, Sandy Hawk, Nancy Fitzpatrick and Edna Pierson.
