Caring & Sharing gears up for 2020

Caring & Sharing, the annual charity drive that provides foods, gifts and other articles to needy families in the Mineola area, is gearing up for the 2020 holiday season.

The last volunteer meeting will be held on Nov. 16 at the First Christian Church, 209 N. Pacific in Mineola at 6:30 p.m.

Caring & Sharing is divided into numerous committees, each dedicated to a different goal and all working together to support and supply the much-needed essentials the organization provides to hundreds of families in Mineola each Christmas season.

The committees include one dedicated to purchasing gifts for senior citizens while other committees oversee purchase of gifts for families, pre-teens and children.  One committee is dedicated to obtaining the large amounts of food that’s distributed each year.  Another committee is dedicated to aluminum cans and redeeming those dropped off in the trailer behind Brookshire’s.

Caring & Sharing volunteers will be selling raffle tickets at the entrance to Brokshire’s each Saturday from Oct. 24 through Nov. 21 and then on each of the three days preceding Thanksgiving. Three winners will each receive a $200 Brookshire’s gift card. Volunteers may still be needed to man the raffle booth on select days.

Dairy Queen is hosting a Caring & Sharing fundraiser from 5-10 p.m. the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 21 with 20% of the proceeds of all sales going to support the charity.

On Saturday, Nov. 7, KMOO radio will be hosting a Caring & Sharing radio auction from 9 a.m.-noon. Anyone having auction items are welcome to contact Caring & Sharing or KMOO.

Caring & Sharing Distribution Day this year is on Dec. 12. On that day, qualifying families will come to the Methodist Ministry Center on Newsom St. and volunteers will deliver their packages without them even needing to leave their cars. In the week prior to Distribution Day, volunteers will be needed to sort and assemble the family packages. There are many other areas that help is needed including sewing of stockings/gift bags that will hold gifts and other items. Contributions in the form of cash donations and articles are welcome and appreciated.

Certainly 2020 has been a challenging and, in many ways, a tragic year for some families. For this reason, Caring & Sharing is expecting that they may serve a record number of families and is dedicated to providing each the same level of support and provisions as they have in the past regardless of how many recipients are found in need.

Current volunteers as well as those wishing to get involved are welcome and encouraged to attend the meeting or to contact Caring & Sharing through its 2020 Chairs Roy and Beth Shockey at roy_shockey@yahoo.com.