Cares for Christmas helping families in need

Christmas is going to be happier than expected this year for eight local families thanks to the efforts of Cares for Christmas, an organization now seeking donations from people who are willing to share what they have with families in need. M’Lisa Frandsen is helping coordinate the program with the Cache Valley Media Group and said she got the idea several years ago while working in a foster care program.

She said the families that are receiving assistance did not apply to receive it. The idea came from watching people in her own neighborhood who were always willing to help others but rarely asked for help themselves, even though they really needed it. The families receiving help this year have been nominated and vetted by trusted individuals under this same criteria.

Frandsen said the public has come through with a lot of donations for those who were nominated for help, but more are needed during this final week. She said people can visit <a href=”http://www.caresforchristmas.org” target=”_blank”>CaresforChristmas.org</a> to learn what each family has asked for. For example, one young boy simply asked for a dog leash for his pet.

“Most of these lists are very, very humbling,” Frandsen said on <a href=”http://610kvnu.com/assets/podcaster/324/2015_12_15_324_40353_2867.mp3″ target=”_blank”>KVNU’s For the People program Monday</a>. “They want clothes, and they need warm clothes like underwear, pants, thermals, coats and snow boots. They are very essential needs that most of these people are asking for.

“Maybe there are one or two where a child wants a tablet, or a Kendama, or an art set, but for the most part they are asking for essential things that they really need.”

She said it has also been humbling to see the assistance that has come in from members of the community. She said a teenage boy came in and dropped off a $100 bill, saying he just got paid and wanted to help but thought it would be better if someone else did the shopping.

Frandsen said those who want to help through the Cares for Christmas program can visit the website, see what has not yet been checked off and then bring their items to the Cache Valley Media Group located at 810 West 200 North in Logan.

Another way to help, she said, is by making a financial contribution through <a href=”https://smashfund.com/cfc” target=”_blank”>smashfund.com/cfc</a>. One hundred percent of those funds will be used to help fill in the gaps, to purchase any items that were not donated. All items received will get gift-wrapped and delivered to the families prior to Christmas.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!