JEFFERSON – After a pandemic year of minimal face-to-face contact, Jefferson County’s Christmas Neighbors children’s gift distribution will return pretty much to normal this year, with only the clothing distribution postponed for health and safety reasons.
This marks the 69th year for Jefferson County Christmas Neighbors, general distribution for which will take place Dec. 15 at the Jefferson County Fair Park Activity Center.
In most ways, the distribution will run as it always has, except that masks will be required of all volunteers and recipients to protect against the spread of COVID-19.
The other change is the temporary elimination of the used clothing distribution, which requires too much close contact. Thus, the organization is not accepting donations of used or new clothing this year.
In the meantime, coordinators are working at full steam to put the finishing touches on this year’s toy distribution, food drive and adopt-a-family program.
Over the past nearly seven decades, Christmas Neighbors has made the holiday season brighter for countless struggling families who might not otherwise be able to afford a traditional Christmas.
The charity was established in 1952 by the Rev. Clarence “Pop” Wendt, a Methodist pastor and county probation officer from Lake Mills. Initially serving the Jefferson area, the charity rapidly expanded to assist needy families from throughout the county through its regular toy giveaway and its more extensive Adopt-a-Family program.
Heading into this year’s event, President Lorna Lovett and Vice President Jan Tremain said that participation is down a little this year, possibly because of the boost struggling families received through pandemic stimulus checks and the child tax credit.
“We usually have between 450 and 500 families in the toy program, and another 150 to 170 in the adopt-a-family program,” Tremain said.
To participate, a family must qualify for some sort of income-based government assistance, such as Badger Care, Head Start, Food Share, SNAP or Forward Wisconsin. Participants must also live in Jefferson County.
People can sign up for the general food and toy distribution or the more encompassing adopt-a-family program.
Through the adopt-a-family program, businesses, organizations or individual sponsors agree to “adopt” a needy family and provide a complete Christmas for them with tailored presents for each of the children, a full holiday meal, and whatever extras the donors wish to provide, potentially including Christmas decorations, a tree, additional food items, or even gas and gift cards.
While the regular distribution takes place at the Jefferson County fairgrounds, donors to the adopt-a-family program hand-deliver their gifts to their chosen family.
Adopt-a-family signup extends through Dec. 6, with matches made up through Dec. 7. Any family which is not matched by that time will go into the general food and toy distribution.
Lovett and Tremain said that the charity relies on hundreds of volunteers, not just to provide donations and to set up on the day of distribution, but to keep the whole operation running throughout the year.
These range from the board members and volunteers who oversee the long-term planning year round, to the seasonal volunteers who man the phones, help match adopt-a-family pairs, serve as Spanish-language interpreters, help set up and tear down the main distribution and assist families during the distribution.
In addition, a team of shoppers is in charge of buying gifts, with the goal of providing a main gift worth $35 to $40 for each child as well as a number of little “extras.”
Volunteers try to make sure there are a range of toys and gifts for every age so everyone can to find something they want.
To connect with needy families throughout the area, Christmas Neighbors works closely with the Jefferson County Human Services Department.
In addition, some area high schools have taken on significant roles in helping with the collection and set-up and providing assistance on distribution day.
For the past several decades, Jefferson High School has held a massive food drive in conjunction with Christmas Neighbors. Jefferson also sends numerous students to assist with the set-up and to help families and translate during distribution.
Johnson Creek High School also sends student volunteers, providing assistance to the program, whose volunteers otherwise tend to be senior citizens.
Waterloo, which has sent students to assist with past distributions, is not attending in person this year, but is contributing in other ways. Lake Mills is also assisting.
Set-up will take place throughout the day on Tuesday, Dec. 14, with distribution following the next day, Dec. 15.
On the day of distribution, Jefferson High School’s Latino Club and the Johnson Creek High School Spanish Club provide interpreters for Spanish-speaking families.
Lovett and Tremain, who have headed up Christmas Neighbors since 2014, said that the effort involves a tremendous amount of work on the part of hundreds of volunteers, but it is also tremendously rewarding.
“Every year as I sit at the check-in table, I hear from moms who are in tears, saying, ‘Without this, my kids would not have Christmas,” Lovett said.
Even though the scale of the charity has changed since its inception, Tremain said, the goal remains the same.
As Pop Wendt said when he started the organization, “Every child should know Christmas.”
Tremain noted that many of the recipients have parents working, but nevertheless are not able to make ends meet. They may face significant financial challenges, such as medical bills.
Even with thousands of items already set for distribution, the organization always has use for more, and donations are accepted through the day of distribution.
Those who donate toys or other items can still do so, though the items most needed at this point are wrapping paper and clear tape.
“We can never have enough of that,” Tremain said.
Lovett said that Christmas Neighbors is pleased to see a lot of returning donors this year, along with a number of new faces.
“Every year we are just amazed at how much people donate,” Tremain said.
The president said that the charity is supported by countless contributors, who donate anything from $10 to $1,000. The organization is also supported by grants from Walmart, the Randy Schopen Foundation, the Kiwanis Cub, Knights of Columbus, the Lake Mills Foundation, Thiessen’s and more, Lovett said.
The biggest individual contribution tends to come from the Lake Mills Market, which does a register-round-up program each year. Last year’s contribution added up to more than $10,000.
New this year, Christmas Neighbors will be partnering with Toys for Tots, which will be providing a load of toys for the Jefferson County program.
Many individuals and groups also donate gifts and materials, such as Shirley Powell and her quilt group, who provide locally-pieced quilts for families; church groups which provide handmade scarves and mittens, and more.
“We are eternally grateful to everyone who has donated, whether it be money, time, gifts, or effort,” Lovett said.
The organization is an incredible success every year thanks to the dedication of those community contributors, the organization heads said, noting also that the program has continued to build on the very strong foundation established by its founder and early organizers.
“Pop Wendt would be so proud, and so would Helen Stowe,” Lovett said. Stowe, who ran the organization before Tremain and Lovett came on board, was a volunteer for Christmas Neighbors from 1969 to 2014, chairing the organization from 1988 until she retired in 2014.
Adopt-a-family sponsors can sign up by phone by calling the Christmas Neighbors office at 920-674-4499. There is also a Spanish-speaking phone contact, reachable at 920-253-8464.
Even after the day of distribution, anyone wishing to donate to Christmas Neighbors may do so at any time.
Monetary donations in any amount always are welcome and can be sent to Jefferson County Christmas Neighbors at P.O. Box 177, Jefferson, WI, 53549. There is also a Paypal link on the organization’s “donate” page on Facebook.
