2019 Give A Christmas delivers the holidays to Burlington County families

The campaign has provided aid to thousands of Burlington County residents over the years, including grieving families, single parents, individuals recovering from addictions and people with disabilities.

WESTAMPTON — The Burlington County Times’ annual Give A Christmas initiative with NJ 2-1-1 is underway, and it’s not too late to donate to help a neighbor who’s in need.

Since 1968, the Give A Christmas campaign has collected and distributed more than $3 million for Burlington County families who wrote to the BCT explaining their struggles during the holidays. The campaign has helped thousands over the years, including grieving families, single parents, individuals recovering from addictions and people with disabilities.

In previous years, families and individuals who needed help have reached out through letters to the Burlington County Times.

Last year, for example, the initiative helped a Willingboro mother and three daughters who lost their home.

“The hours I’ve been able to work cover gas, food and necessities, but I’m hoping for a miracle breakthrough to help me get back on my feet,” the mother wrote in. “We’ve been through so much lately and it breaks my heart to think I won’t be able to give my daughters a Christmas this year.”

Another letter came from a Riverside family coping with grief. Two of the father’s five children had lost their mothers recently: one from colon issues, and the other due to a blood clot near her heart.

“I have one wish and that is to be able to give my five children a great Christmas,” the father wrote to the Burlington County Times. “Right now I will not be able to do that with all of my bills.”

Two Eastampton kids, who lost their mother in a car accident a couple of years ago, also benefited from Give A Christmas.

“In an honest effort to provide shelter, education, food and clothing, it’s extremely difficult at best to make ends meet,” their father wrote last year.

The program has also helped people struggling with health issues and disabilities, who needed an extra boost to be able to bring some Christmas cheer to their families. All funds raised go to residents of Burlington County.

A cancer survivor from Burlington Township raising five kids on her own wrote to the newspaper last year: “It is hard for me to provide for my kids throughout the year, let alone during the holidays. No child should be without during this special time of year.”

Meanwhile, in Florence, a mother who is deaf said she was being passed over for jobs because of her disability, and had a hard time finding a steady gig to support herself and her 15-year-old daughter.

“I’m struggling financially, mentally and emotionally as my daughter gets older and I get older,” the mother wrote. “Holidays mean more spending and going from place to place. I don’t have extra money. I don’t own a vehicle anymore, which makes things harder to deal with.”

For some families, the initiative is a step toward mending bruised relationships with loved ones.

A Maple Shade parent recovering from an addiction reached out to the Burlington County Times last year. The mother became addicted to drugs after being prescribed heavy medications for injuries sustained in a car accident. Now, she’s proud to say she’s been clean for almost a year and earned back custody of her sons from their grandmother.

“I am on a fixed income and just about all of my money goes to bills so we can have a home, food, hot water and electricity,” the mother wrote. “I know that money and toys don’t make up for the things I’ve done, and I will never stop trying to fix things.”

These and so many other need help this holiday season.

Those who wish to seek help from the Give A Christmas campaign can do so by texting GAC to 898211. The agency asks that families reach out by Dec. 6, so gift cards can be distributed by Dec. 18.

Those who would like to donate can send their donations to the Give A Christmas Fund, PO Box 70260, Philadelphia, Pa. 19176-9703.

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.

Sharing is caring