Published in the January 4, 2018 edition

By MAUREEN DOHERTY

NORTH READING — The Christmas spirit continued unabated this past week as donations continued to be made to the Transcript in the final week of the newspaper’s annual fundraiser in support of Christian Community Service (CCS).

Donations from an additional 10 donors totaled nearly $5,000 to close out the newspaper’s 28th drive at $32,885. In the coming year, each dollar donated will directly benefit local families and individuals living in North Reading who have fallen on hard times. Services are provided in confidence by the volunteers at CCS, a 501.c.3 non-profit organization which also runs the town’s Food Pantry. Services are provided without regard to religious affiliation, if any.

The Food Pantry is located in Town Hall on the converted stage of the former school’s auditorium/gymnasium. It is open on Mondays from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and on the first and third Monday evenings of the month. It serves over 100 clients per month, helping those who need a hand up stretch their household budget.

Among the donations received this week were the proceeds of the friendly wager between the School Committee and the Board of Selectmen following the results of the online polling in their Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest (see related story). The initial wager was a $100 donation to the Neighbor Helping Neighbor Fund from the board that “lost” the contest by not having the ugliest sweaters in the poll, but both boards pledged to donate $100 each regardless. After the School Committee was declared the “winner” on New Year’s Eve, Selectmen Chairman Mike Prisco decided to increase his pledge to $300. In the end, there were no “losers” in this good-natured contest and CCS came out ahead by $400.

Once again this year, a generous donation of $2,500 honors the memories of Fredrik and Elna Peterson, Jean and Walter Chambers, Walter J. Edkins and Baden “Sonny” West while the Bailey family provided a generous donation of $1,000, an anonymous donor sent in $400, and Nancy Bailey Miller honored her sister Maria’s memory with a donation of $25. Businesses continue to answer the call as well, with $300 received from Viking Tree while the employees of the Horseshoe Grille pitched in $115 as a Christmas gift to honor their boss, Pat Lee.

CCS Chairwoman Ellen Wiklanski is overwhelmed by the monetary donations as well as the gifts of time offered to CCS to help them carry out their mission. She has many stories to tell, but a few that came immediately to mind this week included the commitment made by Penny Lord Esposito who rallies her family and friends to deliver hot meals on Christmas Day to a couple of dozen shut-ins in town. This is something she has done for many years, Wiklanski said, and it is greatly appreciated. Similarly, the Horseshoe Grille provides the same service on behalf of CCS on Thanksgiving Day, she said.

Another particularly heartwarming story involved a new client of the Food Pantry and a former client assisted by CCS. Wiklanski recalled a mother came to the pantry seeking assistance for Christmas gifts this year for her young children, but she had arrived too late to be included on the CCS “take-a-tag” trees placed throughout town, such as at the Post Office, on which tags are hung like ornaments detailing the gift wishes of local children. The unwrapped gifts are returned with the tags attached which enabled CCS to provide gifts to 66 children this Christmas.

Unwilling to allow the woman to go away empty-handed, Wiklanski was able to provide the Christmas lists of these children to the former client, who is employed by an area retailer. The former CCS client brought the list with her to work and together with her co-workers they “adopted” this family and purchased every gift on their list.

Stories such as this abound throughout the holiday season, year after year, and it is this spirit of giving that makes North Reading a special place to call home and inspires CCS volunteers to continue their mission of providing a hand up to our neighbors in need.

2017 NHNF donors, Week 6:

• Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest, “losing” team:

Board of Selectmen/Chairman Mike Prisco…………………..…..$300

• Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest, “winning” team:

School Committee/Chairman Mel Webster…………………………..$100

• Anonymous Gift…………….$400

• Viking Tree ……………………..$300

• Merry Christmas from the Staff of the Horseshoe Grille: In honor of Pat Lee …………………………………$115

• Caroline B. Smith ……………………………………………………..….…$100

• Geoffrey & Patricia Bemiss …………………………………………………$50

• In memory of my sister, Maria from Nancy Bailey Miller …… ……..….$25

• Paul & Marci Bailey ……………………………………………………….$1,000

• In memory of Fredrik & Elna Peterson, Jean & Walter Chambers,

Walter J. Edkins and Baden “Sonny” West ………………… …………$2,500

Week 6 subtotal………………………………………………………..$4,890

Previously acknowledged ……………………………………………….$27,995

New total………………………………………………………………………..$32,885