Making sure all have something for the holidays
November 12, 2012
For 30 years now, Linda Lederhos is spending much of her time and boundless energy through the holiday season working to make sure that no child in Boundary County goes without a present for Christmas, and the Boundary County Ministerial Association is once again hard at work to make sure all have a holiday feast. This year, the need is once again great.

Project Care-n-Share is the only benefit of its kind, dedicated solely to sharing local blessings with local families who might be struggling.

The donation season begins the day after Thanksgiving, when Linda's Bamboo Room Craft Store and local banks and businesses set up "Trees of Sharing," where people can drop off gifts of toys, warm clothing, mittens, hats and more to be distributed to area children.

Donors can sponsor a child or a family; just call Linda, (208) 290-1483 to learn how.

Donations of money to purchase gifts are also welcome; they can be mailed to Care-n-Share, 515014 Highway 95, Bonners Ferry, ID 83805.

Those who know of families whose Christmas may be bleak this year without the community's help can pick up applications at the Bamboo Room or at Panhandle Health, 7402 Caribou Street on the Northside in Bonners Ferry.

To make sure no local families go hungry for Thanksgiving or Christmas, the Boundary County Ministerial Association is continuing their decades-long food basket drive, and the need this year is great, said treasurer Father Gregory Horton.

"Requests for Thanksgiving baskets are way ahead of last year," he said, "We anticipate that requests for Christmas baskets will be up, too."

The association welcomes donations of food items needed for traditional holiday dinners; turkeys and hams, packaged gravy mix stuffing, cranberry sauce, olives, gelatin mix, vegetables and fruit. Non-perishable items can be dropped off at any local church or in the big read barrel near the entrance to at Akin's Harvest Foods, 7168 First Street in downtown Bonners Ferry. To donate perishable items, call (208) 267-1501.

Monetary donations can be mailed to the Ministerial Association, P.O. Box 722, Bonners Ferry, ID 83805.

Thanksgiving baskets will be filled at St. Ann's Catholic Church, 6712 El Paso Street, Bonners Ferry, beginning at 8:45 a.m. Monday, November 19, and recipients can pick up their baskets there between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Applications for food baskets are available at Community Action Partnership, 6665 Main Street by the Verizon store, or at any local church.

To find out more or to volunteer to help fill the holiday baskets, call Deacon Joe or Lorraine Nicholas, (208) 267-1501.