<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n
In a partnership between The BCT and NJ 2-1-1, the campaign, now in its 52nd year, seeks to provide money in the form of gift cards to local families and individuals in need. Over the years, it has raised more than $3 million. This year\u2019s initiative has already collected more than $10,000.<\/p>\n
Donations have come from hundreds of individuals and families in the region, as well as local businesses and organizations, such as GMS Cleaning Services in Chesterfield, Jesus The Good Shepherd Parish in Beverly, the Springfield Township Fire Company Ladies Auxiliary, and the Woman\u2019s Club of Edgewater Park.<\/p>\n
Burlington County residents donate for several different reasons. Some do it to honor a loved one\u2019s memory. Others do it simply in the spirit of generosity. And some know the struggle firsthand, and are looking to pay the good deed forward now.<\/p>\n
Longtime donor Cynthia Helm, of Pemberton, said she and her husband Charles enjoy the chance to help others when money is tight.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re doing good financially. God has been good to us,\u201d she said. \u201cWe always try to help as much as we can every year.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGive A Christmas\u201d has personal significance to Deborah Pica, a Willingboro, who contributed in honor of her loved ones this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think part of Christmas is remembering people who struggle. I came from that background,\u201d Pica said. \u201cI did volunteer work for a food bank. It was shocking to see the amount of people waiting in line. It\u2019s humbling to know how difficult it is for people. That\u2019s what I grew up with too. I came from a large family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pica said she also enjoys the opportunity to donate locally.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s local. People in the immediate area benefit,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Similarly, Eastampton resident Don Graham also likes knowing he\u2019s making a direct impact on people in the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt some point in life, a lot of us have needed help,\u201d Graham said. \u201cWe knew from news all the toys go to local children who need help. I like the idea of giving and getting locally.\u201d<\/p>\n
Every year, Graham donates in honor of his parents to keep their memory alive. Growing up in Willingboro, he recalled that his father would \u201cplay Santa Claus\u201d for other families in the neighborhood who were struggling. Once, when Graham was a kid, his father dropped off gifts to a neighbor who\u2019d just lost his job recently.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood people sometimes fall on hard times,\u201d Graham said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t want the kids not to have a good Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels personal,\u201d he said of the campaign. \u201cWe\u2019re all a Burlington County family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those who would like to donate to this year\u2019s Give A Christmas can still to do so by sending donations to the Give A Christmas Fund, PO Box 70260, Philadelphia, Pa. 19176-9703.<\/p>\n
Donations must include the donation form, which can be found in print in the daily newspaper or downloaded online at burlingtoncountytimes.com\/GiveaChristmas. Secure online donations can also be made on that same page. Donations made after December 13 will be applied to the 2020 Give A Christmas program.<\/p>\n
Those who wish to seek help from the Give A Christmas campaign can do so by texting GAC to 898211 from Nov. 3 to Dec. 6. Appilcants should text \u201cGAC\u201d to 898211 and follow prompts to complete the application process. Those who are eligible will be required to provide photo identification, a copy of a social security card or birth certificate for each eligible child, proof of income and address.<\/p>\n
NJ 2-1-1 can be reached at 211, 24 hours a day all year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Every contribution to \u201cGive A Christmas\u201d has a story. Some do it simply in the spirit of generosity. Some want to honor loved ones. Some are even looking to pay the good deed forward now. WESTAMPTON \u2014 The holiday season can be difficult for some families, whether they\u2019re coping with financial struggles or grief. Nancy … <\/p>\n
Continue reading “2019 Burlington County families helping neighbors through \u201cGive A Christmas\u201d”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":72,"featured_media":96,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"wps_subtitle":"","yoast_head":"\n2019 Burlington County families helping neighbors through \u201cGive A Christmas\u201d - burlingtonchristmas<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/stories.usatodaynetwork.com\/burlingtonchristmas\/2019\/12\/09\/2019-burlington-county-families-helping-neighbors-through-give-a-christmas\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"2019 Burlington County families helping neighbors through \u201cGive A Christmas\u201d - burlingtonchristmas\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Every contribution to \u201cGive A Christmas\u201d has a story. Some do it simply in the spirit of generosity. Some want to honor loved ones. Some are even looking to pay the good deed forward now. WESTAMPTON \u2014 The holiday season can be difficult for some families, whether they\u2019re coping with financial struggles or grief. Nancy … Continue reading "2019 Burlington County families helping neighbors through \u201cGive A Christmas\u201d"\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/stories.usatodaynetwork.com\/burlingtonchristmas\/2019\/12\/09\/2019-burlington-county-families-helping-neighbors-through-give-a-christmas\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"burlingtonchristmas\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-12-09T19:49:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-12-09T19:49:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/stories.usatodaynetwork.com\/burlingtonchristmas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2018\/10\/background2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1333\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/stories.usatodaynetwork.com\/burlingtonchristmas\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/stories.usatodaynetwork.com\/burlingtonchristmas\/\",\"name\":\"burlingtonchristmas\",\"description\":\"Give A Christmas\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"http:\/\/stories.usatodaynetwork.com\/burlingtonchristmas\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/stories.usatodaynetwork.com\/burlingtonchristmas\/2019\/12\/09\/2019-burlington-county-families-helping-neighbors-through-give-a-christmas\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/stories.usatodaynetwork.com\/burlingtonchristmas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2018\/10\/background2.jpg\",\"width\":2000,\"height\":1333},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/stories.usatodaynetwork.com\/burlingtonchristmas\/2019\/12\/09\/2019-burlington-county-families-helping-neighbors-through-give-a-christmas\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/stories.usatodaynetwork.com\/burlingtonchristmas\/2019\/12\/09\/2019-burlington-county-families-helping-neighbors-through-give-a-christmas\/\",\"name\":\"2019 Burlington County families helping neighbors through \\u201cGive A Christmas\\u201d - burlingtonchristmas\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/stories.usatodaynetwork.com\/burlingtonchristmas\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/stories.usatodaynetwork.com\/burlingtonchristmas\/2019\/12\/09\/2019-burlington-county-families-helping-neighbors-through-give-a-christmas\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2019-12-09T19:49:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-12-09T19:49:54+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/stories.usatodaynetwork.com\/burlingtonchristmas\/#\/schema\/person\/bdfa0efd0123a58d9d09c8da6938625e\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/stories.usatodaynetwork.com\/burlingtonchristmas\/2019\/12\/09\/2019-burlington-county-families-helping-neighbors-through-give-a-christmas\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/stories.usatodaynetwork.com\/burlingtonchristmas\/#\/schema\/person\/bdfa0efd0123a58d9d09c8da6938625e\",\"name\":\"cveltri\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/stories.usatodaynetwork.com\/burlingtonchristmas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/stories.usatodaynetwork.com\/burlingtonchristmas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/stories.usatodaynetwork.com\/burlingtonchristmas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stories.usatodaynetwork.com\/burlingtonchristmas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/72"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stories.usatodaynetwork.com\/burlingtonchristmas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/stories.usatodaynetwork.com\/burlingtonchristmas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stories.usatodaynetwork.com\/burlingtonchristmas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/stories.usatodaynetwork.com\/burlingtonchristmas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stories.usatodaynetwork.com\/burlingtonchristmas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stories.usatodaynetwork.com\/burlingtonchristmas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}