WILMINGTON — Volunteers packed 920 bags of food in Wilmington on Dec. 15 and drove them to recipients throughout the Deerfield Valley the following morning.
Holiday Baskets is an annual event that helps fill the cupboards of more than 150 families from Halifax to Wardsboro. Poinsettias of cheer are delivered to several dozen more families and individuals as well.
In all, more than 450 are served every December.
The event is timed for the holidays when many may be running low on supplies - and struggling to pay medical bills and for food and heat. This kind of giving is both gratifying and warmly received - lifting spirits for all.
In order to make the biggest impact possible in fighting food insecurity, food is purchased mainly from the Vermont Food Bank. Funding is provided primarily by the Lions' Hungry Lion Bike Tour fundraiser.
Holiday Baskets is jointly coordinated by the Whitingham-Halifax Lions, the Readsboro Lions, the Rotary Club of the Deerfield Valley, and other volunteers.
Dozens of volunteers from as far away as the Sunrise Rotary in Brattleboro helped with the event.
All these service clubs, plus the Hungry Lion Bike Tour, have Facebook pages, where readers can learn more about what the organizations do for their communities throughout the year.