By Wayne Gates –

Christmas Cheer 2016 is underway in Brown County.
The outreach to disadvantaged families in the community with food and Christmas gifts for children is being coordinated by Helping Hands in Christian Services in Georgetown.
“Christmas Cheer has been done for years.  The Eagles started it and then we took over.  The Eagles used to deliver door to door to people, but we had to change it to having people come to Helping Hands to pick things up,” said volunteer Sarah Watson.
Watson said that she has been working with the program for about ten years, and that it’s very rewarding.
“The best part is seeing that the kids get some toys.  There are a lot of kids out there that don’t get anything for Christmas.  It’s also nice to see people get the extra food they need at Christmas time,” she said.
“Lots of local organizations donate money to help us.  The American Legion, the Eagles, the Lion’s Club, the Brown County Senior Citizens Group all help out and we appreciate it.”
There is still plenty of time and ways for people to help this year, according to Watson.
“They can help by donating good used or new toys or they can donate money and we can go purchase food or other items if we start to run short,” she said.
Watson said that the group appreciated the recent food drive held at Georgetown schools, and said that additional food donations were still needed for the program.
Donations of coats, gloves, hats, socks and monetary donations will also go to help purchase items in need.
Clothing items can be dropped off at Helping Hands in Christian Services at 668 Camp Run Rd. Georgetown until Dec. 16 or mailed to Christmas Cheer at P.O. Box 25 Georgetown, Ohio 45121.
To sign up for getting donations, residents are asked to visit Helping Hands or by calling (937) 378-6942.  Helping Hands is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon.
A distribution date will be provided by mail to those who have signed up, and applicants must provide a valid mailing address for a return letter.