There is not much time left to donate to two winter programs in Greene County.

Sherry Graven is with Greene County Adopt-A-Family and is spearheading one of their most important programs of the year with the Holiday Food Baskets. She tells Raccoon Valley Radio that there are 175 families that are in need this year, which is five more than last year. Graven talks about what she looks for when purchasing food for families to get them an extra boost during winter break for school kids.

“Every year I try to get the basics for what kids would need while they’re out of school for Christmas break. Things that they can fix themselves, or that are easy for them to fix, or that they really like. And that seems to be the way the families really like it.” 

Graven points out that her workplace, the Greene County Engineer’s Office, is also a collection location for the Toys for Kids of Greene County program. She explains that even though this program is through Greene County New Opportunities with Coordinator Teresa Lansman, she felt the need to support that program as well.

“I just started helping Teresa because it’s just a huge project. We did over 320 kids last year and that takes a lot of toys. And it really doesn’t have anything to do with Adopt-A-Family, but we just try to help the families. We just really hate the thought that a child may go without a gift at Christmas because Christmas is about kids.”

Graven adds that toy donations need to be made by this Friday and there are at least 300 kids that have signed up. Both monetary donations for Adopt-A-Family’s Holiday Food Baskets and the Toy Drive can be made to the Greene County Engineer’s Office in the Greene County Courthouse. Otherwise the Greene County New Opportunities Office is located at 1401 North Elm Street in Jefferson and Adopt-A-Family has a mailing address of P.O. Box 364 in Jefferson.