O Sharing Tree
Hunger & Health Coalition program helps needy at Christmas

By Sherrie Norris

It’s a couple of weeks before Christmas in the High Country, mom and dad have been struggling for months to make ends meet. Dad’s been sick and cannot work. Mom lost her job when the plant downsized, employed less than a year with no compensation when given the pink slip.

Youngsters Johnny and Susie are warm; they are not exactly hungry, but have little more than necessities for a day or two at a time.

The children have clothing, thanks to local nonprofit agencies, though worn and a bit tattered. Sometimes, they hear their classmates snicker at them behind their backs. They wish they could dress like the others at school.

With Christmas nearing, they are wishing they will wake up on Christmas Day to find toys and dolls and trucks and new clothes and shoes underneath the Christmas tree.

But mom and dad already have told them not to expect much this year – times are tough.

Just when mom and dad feel as if they have reached the end of their rope, good news is delivered: Their children have been “adopted” for the holidays through the Sharing Tree program at the Hunger and Health Coalition in Boone.

A call came in to the parents that a Christmas meal for the family and gifts for the children would be delivered, just in time for Christmas.

While the above scenario may seem far-fetched to some, it’s a stark reality for others, with not always a happy ending.

But the circumstances of many area families in need this holiday season can be changed with the public’s help, but time is running out.

The coalition’s “Sharing Tree” is still full of hundreds of names of young and old alike needing to be adopted for the holidays, said Kim Winebarger, client services coordinator at the Hunger and Health Coalition in Boone.

“Our biggest need right now is to get these folks and their requests into the hands of this compassionate community,” Winebarger said. “We will have to work hard to get all these families adopted by Christmas.”

With Christmas less than three weeks away, time is running out for Winebarger, whose main goal is to see that the needs of her clients are met and that no one is disappointed when all is said and done.

The High Country community has always been receptive to the efforts of the coalition as it brings Christmas to the less fortunate every year through its Sharing Tree programs, she said.

Winebarger is relying heavily upon the generosity of others once again to meet these needs.

While the Sharing Tree itself focuses on the young (under 17), the Senior Sharing Tree reaches into the lives of the county’s senior citizens, 65 and above, in need of assistance and many times, friendship and encouragement to get through the holidays.

“This program allows people in the community to actively and directly assist those in less fortunate circumstances,” said Winebarger, who knows many generous individuals and families whose response to the program is an annual tradition.

“Being able to help someone like this is an important part of their lives and helps them demonstrate to their children that the holidays are about more than just shopping and acquiring more for themselves,” she said.

Ensuring the success of the Sharing Tree programs has become a practice for the High Country as a whole, with hundreds of area residents reaching out to others every year with incredible compassion and generosity, she said.

Both Sharing Tree programs identify and collect needs lists from area families and seniors and provide those to community residents interested in “adopting” them for Christmas.

Qualified recipients must have been clients of the coalition within the last year, or referred by a partner agency. They are given necessary forms to complete, including a “wish list” for each child in the home under 17 and each senior over 65.

The Hunger and Health Coalition staff serves as a matching agent between those in need and those willing to help. Individuals, families, civic groups, etc., from the community then complete the “adoption,” by purchasing items from the list and delivering the gifts, along with enough groceries to prepare a holiday meal, to the families’ homes just in time for Christmas.

“Adopting through the Sharing Tree Program is a very simple process,” Winebarger said. “Anyone interested just needs to stop by our office, look through the applications and select a family or senior to help … It only takes about 15 minutes to decide to make someone’s holiday a little brighter.”

The dividends are twofold, Winebarger said, for those receiving, as well as those on the giving end.

“For some, this is the only interaction they have with the outside world during the holidays,” she said.

Once a “wish-list” and contact information goes into another’s hands, it is that one’s responsibility to contact their recipient and make arrangements for delivery.

From past experience, the Hunger and Health Coalition staff knows that the majority of requested items are necessities, rather than conveniences.

Crystal Winebarger, assistant director of pharmacy services at the coalition, recalls an elderly man who, one year, asked simply for a Christmas cactus. “He called back a few days later and said maybe he should change his request – that he really needed socks,” Winebarger said.

Needless to say, he received both.

At the coalition offices, the Sharing Tree files reflect such requests as clothes for family members, a food processor to grind food for an elderly handicapped lady, syringes for a diabetic, a few pleas for toys, and for other basic necessities.

The numbers of qualifying applicants have risen at least 100 over the 250 served during 2005 through the two programs.

“We expected more this year, and that’s what we’re seeing. Now, we just need help to take care of them,” Winebarger said.

Dec.18 is the targeted date to have all requests placed in the hands of the community. Winebarger is encouraging area residents to step forth with open arms and deep pockets.

The Hunger and Health Coalition office is open Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Those interested in learning more about the Sharing Tree programscan contact the organization at (828) 262-1628.

Serving the residents of Watauga, Ashe and Avery counties with food assistance and free pharmacy programs, the Hunger and Health Coalition is a member agency of the High Country United Way.