Published in the January 5, 2017 edition

BY BILL LaFORME

NORTH READING — If you’ve been thinking about making a donation to Christian Community Service this season, it’s not too late. We’re actually fairly close to meeting last year’s fundraising total, and your donations can still help bring us beyond that goal.

The holidays are now behind us for another year, but it’s never too late to make a donation. Every dollar you send helps your fellow North Reading residents who have come up against some challenges or difficulties. This fund has been here for you and your neighbors and will continue to be, whether it’s Christmastime or during the hottest days of the summer.

Another way to help a struggling neighbor is to keep the North Reading Food Pantry in mind any time of year – by sending them a check or by dropping off canned or dry items, or baby and cleaning supplies – at town hall, the library, the post office, and Stop and Shop. And, what a great amount of good even a modest cash donation to a local food pantry can do.

Now that we’re wrapping up another Christmas season, let’s do what we can to remember our local nonprofits all through the year. We’ve all seen news articles over the years showing sparse food pantry shelves during the summer months. The CCS doesn’t take a break from working with local families in need, and your donation can do anything from provide holiday meals and companionship to senior citizens to helping a family stay in their home or meet some other needs, such as groceries or utility bills. There is no better way to honor this organization than to help make sure it has the resources it needs to serve all the town residents who come to it seeking a hand.

The CCS is a non–denominational, non–profit organization. All donations will be acknowledged in the Transcript. Donations may be mailed to the Transcript at P.O. Box 7, North Reading MA 01864. Donations are tax deductible and a tax receipt will be furnished to anyone who requests one. Receipts are automatically mailed for donations of $250 or more.

For those who prefer to drop off a check in person, donations may be left at the Reading Cooperative Bank, 170 Park St.

Checks should be made payable to the Christian Community Service or “CCS,” not the Transcript. Help make the 2016 Neighbor Helping Neighbor Fund the most successful ever.

Thank you to all of the people who sent in these latest donations over the past week:

In memory of Bailey and Jackson$25

Sharlene Speizer and Bernard Stansbury$50

Michael and Susan Rynne$50

Merry Christmas from Bob and Judy Snyder $100

Lisa and Karl Touet$100

Merry Christmas from the

North Reading Transcript$250

Tasha and Timothy Mahoney$100

In memory of Barbara K. Doherty $50

In memory of Fredrik and Elna Peterson, Jean and Walter Chambers, and Baden “Sonny” West $2,500

Nancy H. Fenton $100

Marion S. Baker$50

Geoffrey and Patricia Bemiss $50

In memory of Harry W.$100

In memory of Dad, from Al Sylvia Jr. $300

Michelle J. Driscoll $100

Subtotal this week $3,925

Previously acknowledged $29,395

Total contributions to 2016 NHN fund $33,320