Community support vital to success of Potterville’s Holiday Gift Baskets

Jo Lehman still thinks about the family of five or six huddled around the space heater one year as she delivered a holiday basket to the unsuspecting family just outside Potterville. Instead of running to see the new toys, the children ran to a couple blankets Lehman had decided to add to the basket at the last minute.

“I walked out of there just a mess,” Lehman said. “It just broke my heart. We have these families that really need help.”

Lehman has been in charge of the annual Holiday Gift Baskets program in Potterville for the past several years and has seen the difference the program has made in the lives of community members — those that give as well as receive.

The program in Potterville provides food, clothing and gifts for close to 60 families within the Potterville Public Schools District. Last year that included more than 100 children.

“With school off for break, we try to provide each family with enough food to last through Christmas break,” Lehman said. “It all depends on the support we receive during the local food drives and the donations we get.”

In addition to food, the baskets contain new clothes for each child in the family as well as small, educational gifts. Lehman said it takes support from all corners of the community to make the program a success in reaching all families in need of a little support. The fire department helps deliver baskets to senior citizens that can’t venture out. Potterville Public Schools holds food drives each year and the staff helps raise money through an annual Operation Jeans program.

“A lot of people come together to make this work,” she said.

Donations of food can be taken to Benton Township Hall, located at 5136 Windsor Highway. Monetary donations can be mailed to Potterville United Methodist Church at 105 N. Church St., Potterville, MI 48876.

“Let’s give these families some glimmer of hope that things will get better and you helped make it happen,” Lehman said. “Maybe you can’t give money, perhaps your business or organization could adopt a family or run a food drive in your business.”