GREENE – The Christmas Basket Project, organized by the Greene Rotary Club, is set to deliver boxes of food, clothing and in some cases toys, to families in need on Dec. 22. One hundred and seven families have signed up and been “adopted” by various members of the community, in an effort to make sure as many people as possible have a pleasantholiday season.
“The community has been doing this for as long as I have been alive,” said Rotary Club President and Christmas Basket Project lead organizer Paula Estabrook. “We do it with the help of the whole community. Everyone helps out, and when I say everyone, I mean literally everyone.”
The “adoption” process begins each year when families in the Greene community, large or small, fill out an application with the Rotary Club indicating what they need the most this holiday season. “It can be groceries, toys, blankets ... really whatever they need,” said Estabrook.
All sorts of community organizations pitch in to make sure the basket project is a success each year, such as local businesses, scout troops, and churches. As per tradition, the Greene High School commits to a canned food drive, with individual classes competing against one another to see who can collect the largest number of cans with the winner receiving a prize.
The Page Seed Company donates large boxes which represent the physical embodiment of the Christmas Basket Project. The boxes are first filled with nonperishable provisions drawn from the collections, and then with items off the individual family’s wish list. The family wish lists are attended to by volunteers who are determined to meet the needs of their respective charges. The Rotary Club fills any space left in the boxes with purchased clothing and blankets.
The Raymond Corporation has taken the names and photos of 90 children off the list of enrolled families and hung their profiles on a Christmas tree at Raymond. Employees have been encouraged to “adopt” individual kids and focus their charitable energies on checking off the items on their personal wish list.
“Anybody who has asked for help will get it, but we do focus a lot of our attention on the children in need,” said Estabrook.
On the Saturday before Christmas, all sorts of people come out every year to deliver the boxes to each one of the “adopted” families, reported Estabrook. “It is such a heartwarming experience and a huge collaboration of the community,” she said.
Although all of the enrolled families on the Rotary Club’s list have already been adopted, the Christmas Basket Project is still short on the money used to buy warm clothing and blankets. There is still also a dire need for more nonperishable foods, as the first wish for some families is simply not to go hungry this holiday season. Donation barrels are located throughout Greene at many of the local businesses.
Monetary donation should be addressed to: Christmas Basket Project, Greene Rotary Club, PO Box 384, Greene, NY 13778. For more information, call 656-4181.