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YMCA seeks help for needy families
By JON WILSON © St. Petersburg Times, published November 29, 2000 ST. PETERSBURG -- The YMCA's yearly campaign to bring holiday help to the needy has had trouble picking up steam this year. Usually the families, who contribute money to buy trees, food and presents, are lined up by Thanksgiving. But this year, only about 225 families have come forward, compared to the 350 who donated in 1999, said Doug Linder, the St. Petersburg Family YMCA chief executive officer. "We're way behind," said Linder, adding that there is still time for contributors to get on board. In its ninth year, the Neighbor to Neighbor program in 1999 served a record 440 needy families, whose heads are asked to perform five hours of community service in return for receiving holiday cheer. Several elements have slowed this year's program. The Y has been busy with its capital campaign to build a new headquarters in the Central Plaza area, a project coming out of the ground on First Avenue S just east of U.S. 19. "We got a late start" on the Neighbor to Neighbor project, Linder said. "And people who did multiple families in the past are not doing it this year." Meanwhile, the $100 donation has increased to $120. The money donated by sponsoring families is used to buy a tree, ornaments, gift certificates for toys and food, a Christmas story book and a Bible or New Testament. A special ornament given to the "adopted" family anonymously describes the sponsoring family, which in turn is given an ornament describing the adopted family. No names are used and neither family actually knows the other. This year's is the first increase of the sponsoring fee. "We really can't provide Christmas for $100 anymore," Linder said. "We have some families with six or seven kids." Elder Clarence Welch, pastor of Prayer Tower Church of God in Christ, has been involved with the program since lawyer Rick Baker founded it in 1992. "We've had kids who have never seen a Christmas tree," Welch said. The holiday goodies are delivered 10 days to two weeks before Christmas Day. He said about 60-65 percent of the adopted families live in single-parent households. The adopted families are chosen through recommendations from the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance. Last year's program brought holiday happiness to about 1,400 youngsters, he said. "The most valuable thing I've seen is the positive effect it has on young children that have never participated in Christmas, and the joy and exuberance we see when we take these trees to the family," Welch said. "It's a reward to us, sometimes more than it is to the kids," he said. Linder is encouraging families that would like to contribute to come forward. Call 895-9622 for information.
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