Movie theaters, March Madness, even the Olympics have all been closed, canceled or delayed because of the coronavirus.
But not even a global pandemic can erase the giving spirit that manifests each holiday season.
It’s that spirit the Levittown-Bristol Kiwanis Club plans to tap into as it partners with the Bucks County Courier Times to kick off the annual Give A Christmas fundraiser. Now entering the 63rd year as organizers of the months-long donation drive, the Kiwanis Club members have every reason to believe the Lower Bucks community will step up once again.
“The community outreach in this area has always been wonderful,” said Mary Berman, Kiwanis Club board member, past president and one of the main organizers of the campaign. “When we mention the name Kiwanis Club to someone, they look at you funny. Then we say Give a Christmas and they know who we are. It’s a long way from the 1950s, when club members stood on street corners collecting money and toys.”
“This has been a year of upheaval for so many families,” Bucks County Courier Times Executive Editor Shane Fitzgerald said. “Give A Christmas is made to order for helping those who have suffered economic hardship during these trying times. Bucks County traditionally has been extremely generous and this year’s donation will have added impact.
“We’re starting earlier this year so we can safely distribute donations during this pandemic, so we hope contributors can help us help more people before the holidays. We are extremely proud of our longstanding service to the community with Give A Christmas, and it may never have been more needed than it is this year.”
The Give A Christmas target for the 2020 holiday season is $120,000, the third consecutive year for that fundraising goal. Kiwanis works with the Bucks County Courier Times to raise public awareness of the campaign and direct donations to Kiwanis Club of Levittown-Bristol Foundation Inc., PO Box 862 in Levittown.
Contributed money is then distributed to local families in the form of $25 vouchers that can be redeemed in participating stores. This year’s stores are comprised of the following:
- Acme at 6800 New Falls Rd. in Levittown
- Acme at 2301 Bristol Rd. in Bensalem
- Acme at 800 2nd St. Pike in Richboro
- Redner’s Market at 2506 Knights Rd. in Bensalem
- Redner’s Market at 1361 Lincoln Hwy in Langhorne
- Redner’s Market at 701 S. West End Blvd. in Quakertown
- Selecto Market at 320 Pond St. in Bristol Borough
- Burlington at 2375 Lincoln Hwy. in Langhorne
- Burlington at 1563 Franklin Mills Cir. In Philadelphia
- Barnes & Noble Booksellers at 300 Neshaminy Mall Blvd. in Bensalem
The Give A Christmas fundraiser surpassed its goal last year, ending the 2019 season with $125,481.30 from 817 donations. That generated 3,491 vouchers distributed to 2,250 families in Lower Bucks. The final push over the finish line was shepherded by a $9,236 boost from Wrightstown philanthropists Gene and Marlene Epstein.
In fact, there was enough left over to fund additional outreach programs throughout 2020. Kiwanis Club volunteers have used the funds to purchase hundreds of pounds of fruits and vegetables each week at Produce Junction to provide fresh produce outside the ERA Food Pantry on Woodbourne Road in Levittown.
The pandemic has taken a bite out of the Kiwanis Club’s fundraising strength, forcing the cancellation of the annual Kiwanis-Herald Sesame Place Classic 5K, which funds the group’s scholarship program. The Bucks County Roadrunners Club also had to cancel its annual Thanksgiving Day 5-Miler, which includes the Give a Christmas campaign as one of three charities that receive proceeds from the race.
Berman said the larger concern for the Kiwanis Club has not been where they would get the money, Instead, the larger focus has been on making sure families get the help they need for the holidays. Typically, Kiwanis works with school nurses and administrators at Council Rock, Pennsbury, Neshaminy, Morrisville, Bensalem, Bristol Borough and Bristol Township school districts, and the local parochial schools, to find the proper recipients. The era of virtual learning and Zoom classrooms increased the degree of difficulty for that search.
“Our biggest obstacle has been getting information through the schools,” Berman said. The school districts have been very cooperative finding ways to identify the families that need help. We are also being creative in the ways we find and reach out to families by going through different sources, such as churches or other organizations.”
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