Did you know that $25 can make a huge difference in the life of a local family this holiday season?

No, it won’t provide a new toy under the tree. But it will provide a box of food for a family.

But not just any box of food. It will provide a box filled with most of the ingredients needed to prepare a traditional Christmas dinner: a hen, eggs, butter, pumpkin, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, green beans, chicken broth, cornbread mix, stuffing mix and more.

“Some people may wonder why we feel that it is so important to provide Christmas food to our families in need,” said Angelia Bostick, Executive Director of Good Samaritan Ministries. “Besides giving families food through our food pantry, we believe in giving people dignity in a world where, because of their financial state, it has been stripped from them.”

Part of that dignity, Bostick said, comes from providing them the means to provide their family with a traditional Christmas dinner.

The holidays are stressful at their best, but when a severe strain on the family finances push that stress to monumental levels, people can lose hope.

“We like providing the items to prepare the meal because it puts some control back in the hands of a family whose lives may feel like they’re spiraling out of control,” Bostick said. “It gives them the means to prepare something special for their family.”

The food for the boxes comes from a combination of food donations from local residents and businesses and the majority is ordered from the food bank and local grocery stores.

“We provided boxes for 1,347 families last December and we anticipate around 1,500 families to come through this year,” Bostick said. “With what we raised through our Christmas in July drive, that still leaves around $25,000 just to provide Christmas boxes to our families.”

If only 1,000 people – less than 10 percent of the population of Brown County – could donate $25 to provide a box of Christmas food to one family that would more than meet the need.

Please consider joining with us to donate just $25 to provide a Christmas box for a family in need this Christmas. Checks may be mailed to P.O. Box 1136, Brownwood, TX 76804. You may also bring your donation by 305 Clark Street or make a payment online at goodsambwd.org. Please designate your giving for “Christmas food”.

If you’d also like to donate food, leave your non-perishable food items in drop off boxes located at: Bank of America, Davis Morris Funeral Home, First Central Credit Union, McCoy’s Building Supply, KOXE Radio, KPSM Radio and Wendlee Broadcasting.

Pictured top left are a previous year’s Christmas boxes ready to be picked up.