Brandon Twp.- Christine Gatton says Christmas wouldn’t have happened for her family without the help of the Ortonville Community Emergency Fund.
Gatton, a single mother and Ortonville resident, works both a full-time job in Rochester as a direct-care provider and a part-time job to make ends meet and support her four children, aged 9, 3, 2 and 1. But with very little child support, she has sought help for the last two or three years from OCEF.
‘They’ve helped me with gas bills, rent, clothes for my children, and food every month– getting it to stretch further,? says Gatton, 28. ‘They helped me with cribs and bedding for my kids. They’ve never turned me away and have been extremely helpful with everything. It’s nice to have someone in the community to help… I appreciate it immensely.?
On Dec. 19, Gatton was at St. Anne Church for the annual Christmas food and gift distribution for families in need. In a large hall, tables are lined with piles of food, all sorted by categories– spaghetti sauce, boxed pasta, canned pasta, canned green beans, corn, stuffing, cereal, cans of chicken soup, tomato soup and cream of mushroom soup. There are bags of potatoes and onions. Laundry detergent is arranged under a table.
Around the perimeter of the room are hundreds of paper grocery bags that have already been packed with food. More of these bags line a hallway leading to the sanctuary, where there are large black plastic garbage bags holding gift cards and presents such as coats and gloves. A roll of wrapping paper can be seen poking out the top of one of the many bags that sit on chairs here.
‘We have a very generous community,? says Brenda Todd, OCEF secretary. ‘It’s a Christmas miracle every year with the generosity of the community and volunteers.?
All of the grocery and gift bags bear client numbers that identify which family will receive the food and gifts. No names are on the bags, but instead, the age and gender of each family member is listed. The size of each family varies widely, as does the ages of its members. There are many families who appear to be similar to Gatton’s– single mothers with young children. But there are also couples with teenagers, middle-aged couples with children, and senior citizens. One gift bag is going to a 69-year-old female. A set of grocery bags will provide Christmas dinner for a couple in their 70s.
Everywhere in the church are volunteers, moving what amounts to tons of food.
Judy Henley, OCEF food pantry director, says it takes 300 of these volunteers to do the food sort and distribution as well as the toy store on Dec. 17 during which needy families selected donated toys for their children.
The effort to help members of the community who are struggling financially for a variety of reasons begins the first week in October. A letter is sent out to families who have visited OCEF in the past asking them to register if they need help. The families come to St. Anne Church, 825 S. Ortonville Road, to register for both Thanksgiving and Christmas help and fill out gift request forms for needed items such as sheets, comforters, and winter clothing. Tags are generated for all gift items and placed on giving trees, with the hope that individuals will choose tags and purchase requested gifts.
Volunteers enter information into a computer and also contact people who have ‘adopted? families in the past to see if they’re interested in helping again. Local businesses sign up to become drop-off locations for toys, food, gifts and personal items, making it convenient for members of the community to contribute. Students and faculty in the Brandon schools have competitions with canned food drives, all helping to make Thanksgiving and Christmas brighter for Gatton, 139 other families and 12 group homes for a total of 603 individuals this year alone.
Once all food, gifts and toys are collected, the sorting begins. This year, 183 children under the age of 12 were registered for the toy store. OCEF tries to give 10 items per child– including toys, books, and stocking stuffers.
‘There are so many miracles in the toy store,? says Karyn Milligan, who organizes OCEF volunteers. ‘It’s truly heaven-sent. People just show up with the stuff that is needed. We have clients crying, volunteers crying…?
Food is sorted into the different categories, with a count of how many items in each grouping to determine how many items each family gets, with the number varying on the size of the family.
Today, food and gift distribution is set to begin at 3 p.m. The volunteers finished bagging the last of the groceries around 1 p.m. In another hour clients will begin lining up. Volunteers will bring them their bags of food and gifts and clients will select items from a long set of tables that remains laden with food.
Margaret Lee, who is OCEF treasurer, enjoys being a volunteer.
‘It makes me feel a part of something wonderful,? she says, noting it is difficult to see the number of people in need growing and help is needed all year long. ‘Being part of a community is what life is all about– not being individualistic. Sharing builds everyone up. It can only build good feelings in a community.?
Gatton is grateful for Lee and for everyone who has helped OCEF.
‘We will have a very nice Christmas,? she said. ? You couldn’t ask for better people in a community. They’re awesome, and a great family, period.?