Everywhere you look, Christmas trees are a vivid reminder of the holiday season.
A special kind of Christmas tree, which can be found at several Ortonville churches, is helping to make the holidays a little brighter for the less fortunate of the community.
The Giving Tree program, organized by the Ortonville Community Emergency Fund (OCEF), has been going on for about 20 years as part of OCEF’s Christmas distribution efforts. The trees are located at Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church, Lake Louise Church of the Nazarene, Ortonville United Methodist Church, St. Anne Catholic Church, and Seymour Lake United Methodist Church.
This year, the OCEF board has changed its policy to allow families to ask for gift cards to use for Christmas shopping. Each family member may ask for one gift item and two gift cards from the store of their choice.
OCEF volunteer Heidi Ray said there are a couple reasons the board made the policy change.
“It gives families dignity,” she said. “They can pick their own gifts for their kids and get what they really want, and they can pick out the right item for each kid (such as picking out the right sized for each clothing item purchased). Also, we literally don’t have enough space. We’ve grown so much in the past few years.”
Ray’s statement is supported by the number of families that have signed up for the Giving Tree program. She said about 125-130 Ortonville families have signed up for the program, up from 110 that signed up last year.
Ray said community members have been generous through the years with the Giving Tree program, and also said each family member with a tag on a Giving Tree is assured of receiving a Christmas gift.
“Most of the tags usually get taken,” she said. “It’s usually not a big issue.”
All gifts and gift cards must be returned to their respective Giving Tree location by noon Sunday, Dec. 14. OCEF volunteers then will sort, pack and distribute the gifts that day at St. Anne from 1-4 p.m., and on Monday, Dec. 15 from 9 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m.
The Giving Tree program is one of three main programs organized by OCEF to help the less fortunate this holiday season. The other two are:
•OCEF Toy Store: OCEF is asking for donations of new and unwrapped games, toys, books, puzzles, etc. for the youth of the community. They may be dropped off before Friday, Dec. 12 at one of the following Ortonville businesses: Arrants Ford, Bonner’s Jewlers, First Impressions, Mabelina’s, Cracker Barrel, Sashabaw Meadows Clubhouse, MacPhee’s, Bank One, Brandon Fire Stations 1 and 2, Brandon Tire, Bueche’s Food World, and St. Anne Catholic Church.
The OCEF Toy Store will be open at St. Anne Saturday, Dec. 13 from 8:15 a.m.-noon.
•Christmas Food Baskets: OCEF is asking for nonperishable food and household items to be distributed. Donations may be received at either Bueche’s Food World or St. Anne before noon Dec. 14.
OCEF will also accept cash donations for any of the above projects. Cash donations may be sent to OCEF, P.O. Box 282, Ortonville, MI 48462.
Details: (248) 627-3965.