Make sure kids have a Christmas!

As the holidays approach, local families need assistance to assure that Santa visits children. Adopt a family, buy warm clothing and offer to help.

What better gift could you teach your child than the importance of giving?

Making Christmas Wishes come true in Lakeville, Middleboro
Program’s been helping families for 18 years

The Christmas Wishes Program has been making sure the kids of Lakeville and Middleboro have warm clothes, presents under the tree and full tummies for the holiday season for almost two decades.

This is an especially difficult year for many families due to the state of the economy, said volunteer Louise Cowan, who has been with the program since its inception 18 years ago.

“The biggest thing right now is unemployment, and unemployment has run out for some people,” Cowan said.

Each year Christmas Wishes provides needy families from Lakeville and Middleboro with a two-week supply of groceries and a gift box with clothes and toys for each child.

Last year, the program assisted 163 families, and the all-volunteer operation has already received 100 applications this year, Cowan said.

The program receives donations from area residents, businesses, churches, schools, scouts and other organizations to meet the need each year, Cowan said.

There is no specific income ceiling for eligibility. Requests are evaluated based on need on a case-by-case basis, Cowan said.

She said one family is coping with a life-threatening medical crisis and a lay-off at the same time and has a clear need despite an income higher than might qualify under an arbitrary cut off, she said.

Christmas Wishes sets up shop every year in the Masonic Lodge at 46 South Main St. in Middleboro. The office, which opened its doors on Nov. 1, is manned by volunteers Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Parents in need of assistance are invited to stop by and fill out an application. They will be asked to provide the clothing size of each child and toy each child is hoping to receive for Christmas.

Applicants should bring a photo ID and proof of address, such as a bill, if the photo ID doesn’t contain their current address, Cowan said.

Christmas Wishes then makes up a tag for each child with the child’s first name, clothes size and toy wish for the donor to use when shopping for the child.

Cowan said many of the applicants are single moms struggling to make ends meet who might otherwise not be able to give their children anything on Christmas morning.

One woman, who has been raising her grandchildren, has been coming to Christmas Wishes since it was founded and now has just one grandchild left in the program, Cowan said.

“She writes the most beautiful, poetic, religious thank yous. We all cry when we read them,” Cowan said.

Christmas Wishes will be accepting applications through Nov. 26 and will be distributing gift boxes and food baskets on Dec. 16, 17 and 18.

For more information about making a donation, call Cowan at 508-946-1568 or the Christmas Wishes office at 508-947-3579 or mail donations to: Christmas Wishes, P.O. Box 406, Middleboro, MA 02346.