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Merry Christmas
Staff Report
Published December 24, 2009
It’s been a rough year, economically, for a lot of people here in the Red River Valley.
This time last year most of us were quaking under the shadow of what most experts say is the deepest and longest recession the economy has suffered since the 1930s. Nationally, we watched the auto industry implode, unemployment numbers explode and foreclosures skyrocket.
Here in Northeast Texas, it appeared the vagaries of the economy had touched us but lightly. Sure, we all tightened our belts a bit, but on the whole, not everyone was boiling those belts up to make soup. As the year progressed and the words of doom began to be tempered somewhat with whispers of hope, most of us began to breath a little easier.
Perhaps it was that brush with financial disaster that made the people of this area so glad to give to those truly in need this holiday season. The spirit of giving, it appears, is in no short supply in these parts.
For the past few weeks, we here at The Paris News have been chronicling the efforts of the people of Northeast Texas to ensure that the needy have what they need to make their holidays as happy as possible. The include The Salvation Army and their various programs, such as the Angel Trees, the Red Kettle Drive and The Paris News’ Empty Stocking Fund, benefitting the Salvation Army. Brookshire’s Grocery and the Kiwanis Club of Paris teamed up to conduct the annual Spirit of Christmas Food Drive. Paris EMS collected in excess of $6,000 for their Fill the Boot Campaign. Lamar County Volunteer Firefighters held their own “Boot” drives, collecting a comparable sum to aid the needy. The Paris Police Department donated a flatbed truck-load of bikes to kids in need.
All of our area churches and faith-based organizations reached out to the needy in the community, most notably The Kings Daughters and Holy Cross Episcopal Church. First United Methodist Church’s Spirit of Giving Community Christmas Party drew thousands of people seeking the means to make the Christmas holidays a little brighter for their families.
Paris area businesses gave generously. Campbell Soup Co. donated 5,000 pounds of food to the Spirit of Giving Community Christmas Party, and Kimberly-Clark gave loads of paper goods to organizers of the event. Turner Industries held a toy drive benefitting the U.S. Marine Corps Foundation Toys for Tots program. Sara Lee also donated comestibles to holiday events.
The Paris Board of Realtors publicly pledged their efforts to help the Salvation Army overcome a short-fall of donations this Christmas season. Local Wells Fargo financial advisors rented out the local movie-house for a showing of a newly-released film, dedicating the proceeds of the event to the effort to “Blind Side” Hunger. Others such as HARTS, a group of PJC vocational students donated food to the Salvation Army, and NETO, who gave $2,500 to a local food bank, did their parts.
Even those with little to give did what they could. Christians in Action, still struggling in the wake of the fire that destroyed their building and took the lives of several men living in the shelter the organization operated, collected and passed on food to those in need.
We at The Paris News would like to take this time to express out heartfelt gratitude to all those who helped make this Season of Giving a little bit brighter for all of us. We wish you all a merry, merry Christmas.
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