Hats off to Oxford Middle School for collecting approximately 3,500 nonperishable food items to help local folks in need this holiday season.
‘We do it every year, but this seems to be the biggest (collection) we’ve ever had,? said Megan Van Sickle, student council adviser and social worker at OMS.
Members of the Oxford Lions Club stopped by the school last week to pick up all the food, which they will pack into baskets and distribute on the evening of Dec. 13.
‘There’s roughly 70 people altogether that are going to be getting something,? said Lions Club President Charlie Garrad.
That total includes a dozen families with 38 kids plus 22 local senior citizens and adults who are clients of Training and Treatment Innovations (Clubhouse Inspiration), which serves the mentally ill and developmentally disabled.
Garrad said OMS? annual food drive is absolutely vital to the Lions? holiday efforts. ‘This makes it work,? he said. ‘If we didn’t have this, we’d be in trouble.?
Whatever food is left over is donated to Oxford/Orion FISH’s food pantry in Thomas.
‘It gets used,? Garrad said.
Lions Club members and other volunteers will meet at the Oxford Veterans Memorial Civic Center Dec. 13 to pack food baskets, each with either a ham or turkey, and wrap clothes and toys for delivery.
For the seventh or eighth consecutive year, the Oxford-based Vaughn Custom Sports (550 S. Glaspie) will be donating all the toys.
Instead of purchasing gifts for the company’s owners, Vaughn’s generous employees buy toys and wrapping paper for the Lions.
Garrad said they expect to receive at least 50-60 toys. ‘Each child will probably get a couple toys,? he noted.
Garrad is also grateful to the Oxford Meijer for giving the Lions a 25 percent discount (on top of sale prices) on the food and merchandise they purchased for the needy.
Money from the club’s annual Goodfellow Newspaper Sales helps finance the Lions charitable efforts this time of year. This year’s sale of Oxford Leader papers raised $3,074.