Rathdrum Prairie News: Best gift for holiday is giving back
The Christmas season is a traditional time of peace and good will. It is a time of giving – the time when many of us support the organizations and programs that provide for those in need. Here are just a couple of the dozens of worthwhile holiday projects in our community – there are many more. I hope these stories inspire you – there’s still time to give.
Quilts for seniors
The St. George’s Quilters, a group of women in Post Falls, recently donated 101 handmade quilts to the Post Falls Food Bank. The hardworking ladies have been making quilts for the project since 2005 – and they have increased the number of quilts they make each year. They also find the time to make quilts for the police and fire departments and area nursing homes throughout the year.
The Food Bank will distribute the quilts to senior citizens in need during the winter months, as part of their “Keep Warm” program. They hope to collect 200 quilts and blankets for the program this year, and you can help. New or gently used blankets or quilts can be dropped off at the food bank on Third Street, Century Publishing on Seltice Way or at the Post Falls Chamber of Commerce office. The St. George’s Quilters accept cotton fabric, yarn and cash donations for their quilting projects at the church at 2010 N. Lucas St.
Athol plans community Christmas dinner
What started in Athol with a small group two months ago – the idea of hosting a traditional Christmas Day dinner for those who might be alone – has grown to be a community event. Al and Jackie Morgan, Dan Holmes with KK J’s Pizza Place, and Roseane Pavlat and Scott Tickemyer, owners of the Country Boy Cafe, came up with the idea – and the whole town jumped on board.
It didn’t take long for the organizers to find more than enough of everything they were looking for – vendors who would donate goods, volunteers to help with the event, lots of food and enough holiday spirit to make the event a success.
With a population of 686, the Tickmyers estimate that more than five percent of the town’s population, many of them Baptists from the nearby church, have volunteered to help with the event; and every business in town has agreed to donate food, money or product. One person is providing enough china and silverware for the event; Sysco is providing turkey breasts, dessert plates and napkins, and Emerald Foods is sending milk and butter, according to Pavlat.
Anyone is welcome to attend the community dinner. “There is no need for anyone to be alone on Christmas Day this year,” said Pavlat. “This isn’t about need – it’s about not being alone on Christmas Day.” The first annual Athol Community Christmas Dinner will be served at the Community Center at 30355 S. Third St., from 1 to 4 p.m. on Christmas Day. Arrangements can also be made for volunteers to deliver meals to those who can’t make it out. Call the Country Boy Cafe for more information. 683-2363
‘The Gifts of the Magi’
For truly inspiring stories about giving, don’t miss “The Gifts of the Magi” and “The Littlest Angel” at the Lake City Playhouse. The “Gifts of the Magi” includes two O. Henry short stories. “The Gift of the Magi” is an inspiring Christmas tale of the heartbreak a young couple suffers after each sells their prized possession to purchase a Christmas gift for the other. The second O. Henry tale, “The Cop and the Anthem” is the story of a homeless man who tries to get himself arrested so he has someplace warm to spend the winter.
“The Littlest Angel” tells the story of a typical little boy’s trials and tribulations of being an “angel” in heaven, and of the lesson he learns when his little boy gift of rocks, butterfly wings, a bird’s egg and other reminders of his time on earth, is picked as a gift for the Christ child. Afraid his gift isn’t good enough, the boy is sad until God tells him he likes his simple gift most of all.
The plays will be presented at the Lake City Playhouse at 1320 E. Garden Ave. today, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Cost is: $16 for adults; $13 for seniors and students, and $10 for juniors. Call 667-1323 for reserved seating.