Dec 25, 2007 5:53 pm US/Central
Thousands Receive Meals And Gifts
26-Year-Old Organization Spreads Christmas Cheer
RIVER FOREST, Ill. (CBS) ―
For many, it's a holiday tradition-- helping those less fortunate is a holiday tradition.
CBS 2 West Suburban Bureau Chief Mike Puccinelli reports, thousands received meals and gifts on Christmas thanks to an organization that started 26 years ago.
Kim Miller and her husband went to Cicero bearing gifts, toys and food for a family in need.
It's something the Millers have been doing for twenty years as Christmas Cheer Volunteers.
"Letting people know that we care about them and that we're reaching out to them at least one day a year is a good feeling," Kim Miller said.
That good feeling is made possible by the folks at the Christmas Cheer Foundation. This Christmas morning their army of more than 350 volunteers prepared and delivered more than 7,200 meals to homes in more than 45 Chicagoland communities. Another 6,000 meals were donated to shelters and churches catering to the needy.
William McKinnis's church picked up and loaded more than 380 of the meals. They were delivered to underprivileged families in the Park Manor neighborhood on Chicag's South Side.
Volunteers range from 5 to 85 years of age. Taylor Cosentino said waking up early to help out this year made her Christmas extra special.
"It makes me feel glad that people that don't have a lot of money get to have a nice meal on christmas," Taylor Cosentino said.
And it's not just meals. More than 4,000 books, toys and beanie babies were given to children who each receive presents with their names on them. But it's not just the kids who benefit.
"We fill two needs. We fill the need of people that need food, and we fill the need of people that need to serve," Lucy Dalbis, Christmas Cheer Foundation vice president, said.
It's through service that the christmas cheer foundation's president says that he and others are spiritually nourished and enriched.
"When you bring Jesus to the poor, the poor give him back to you, and that's a true gift,"Phillip Calabrese, Christmas Cheer Foundation president, said.
The Christmas Cheer Foundation collects money throughout the year from businesses, churches and individual donors to pay for Christmas meals and gifts.
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