Catherine Drewry started Community Christmas of Oglethorpe County Inc. in 1996 with one goal in mind: providing Christmas gifts for kids in need.
Although the nonprofit’s initial format involved collecting wish lists from underprivileged local children and providing them with gifts, the charity decided to shift its method after the pandemic.
The organization now gives aid to entire families during the holiday season.
“Our focus has always been on children, and the children are cared for by adults,” Drewry said. “If there's no electricity in the house, then nobody is going to be happy. Everybody is going to suffer.”
Community Christmas of Oglethorpe County will help pay a household bill for qualifying families this December. Registered families can receive financial help toward rent, utilities or another December bill of their choosing.
“It became apparent that was more important, and it made for happier families. And it also helps the families themselves too, so that they can make some decisions about what their child gets at Christmas,” Drewry said.
The next and final chance to qualify and register will be from 5-8 p.m. Nov. 13 at Crawford Baptist Church. No appointment is necessary.
Registration is available to any Oglethorpe County residents who have children under 18 years old and meet certain financial requirements, co-director Shirley Dillard said. Financial requirements vary from year to year based on the amount of donations and how many people register.
Volunteers from The Light of the World Church will be available to translate in Spanish.
Last year, the organization provided Christmas gifts, assistance and emergency funds throughout the year, totaling $93,552 to 412 children from 175 Oglethorpe County families.
The gift of giving back
The concept for the charity was created by Drewry, who, 28 years ago, started her journey by giving a Barbie doll to a child in need.
“Basically, she wanted to help some kid at Christmas. And that's what we're evolved from,” said Dillard, who has been volunteering since 2013.
Community Christmas is now the sole distributor of Toys for Tots for the county, and will have gifts available for children whose families qualify for assistance.
“We get a huge shipment of toys based on how many children we register and the ages of the children,” Dillard said.
Donors and toy drives, run by the county schools and the public safety departments, give to the charity, as well.
Dillard also obtains books from the Athens-based organization Books for Keeps and redistributes them to the children of the recipients. Last year, more than 800 books were given out.
However, Community Christmas’s outreach goes further than just the winter holiday. It also provides backpacks and books to Community Day, the county’s back-to-school event, and is affiliated with the Athens Area Diaper Bank to “provide diapers to our youngest, most vulnerable,” Drewry said.
The organization has also partnered with extension services to provide financial literacy and healthy cooking classes for families.
A community effort
None of this would be possible without help from the community. The charity organization is made up of volunteers and is funded entirely by donations.
Dillard, a county resident who spent much of her life as an educator, taught chorus and theater at the University of Georgia and, most recently, in the Madison County School System.
“When I retired from teaching, I knew that I wanted to do volunteer work,” she said.
She now oversees the organization’s storage of household goods, which are redistributed to families as needed.
Community members come together to help out in many ways, from donating toys, money or even just household items, to volunteering their time.
“Community Christmas became an organization because we wanted a way to help local children whose families were going through hard times,” Drewry said. “We recognize that together, when my donation goes with your donation, we have enough to make a real difference. We can give the security and peace of mind that there is a home to live in with heat and electricity, and the joy of something under the tree at Christmas.”