Thank you for a successful Christmas Bureau
Because of you, we were able to raise an awe-inspiring $76,073.12 in one month for this year's Christmas Bureau! You pushed up far past our goal of $55,000 to ensure that all 3,565 individuals registered for Christmas Bureau would have a brighter holiday season.
All dollars above the $55,000 goal are still restricted to Christmas Bureau and will be carried over to next year's program. Not only have you taken care of this year, you've pre-paid on next year's Christmas Bureau! These donations came in amounts large and small from 269 individuals and 29 companies/organizations through the month of November. Of course, we really aren't surprised. We know how generous of a community we live in, and when our friends and neighbors need help, you have always been there for them.
Food distribution took place late last week in several stages with the help of Washburn University, Topeka Rescue Mission and SENT. Thank you to the donors, volunteers and entities that helped us distribute some amazing holiday meals! In a normal, non-COVID year, this isn't something we have to do because individual adopters take care of shopping for holiday meals and deliver them to the families. Thanks to Shawnee County CARES dollars and a huge assist from Dillons, we were able to get absolutely incredible turkey or ham dinners with all the trimmings. Our small and masked army helped bag and distribute hundreds of meals last Thursday to get everything started. It was also a spectacular day to be working outside!
Check out our videos from the month of November fundraising effort and from the food distribution on our Facebook videos page.
Thanks also to our steadfast Christmas Bureau partners at Topeka Rescue Mission Ministries, Community Resources Council, Salvation Army, Topeka Housing Authority and Doorstep Inc.
The holidays aren't quite the same during a pandemic, and Christmas Bureau looked very different this year. We know it wasn't quite what we all wished for, but we hope that with everyone's help our community will see a better holiday season in 2021.