DARKE COUNTY – The 2018 Darke County Community Christmas Drive is coming up, and it’s hoped that it will be another great year.
Starting just after Thanksgiving on Nov. 23 and Nov. 24, donations may be made at 11 locations throughout the county. The efforts will continue on Friday and Saturdays – Nov. 30, Dec. 1, Dec. 7, Dec. 8, Dec. 14, Dec. 15, Dec. 21 and Dec. 22. At most locations donations will be accepted between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.
In Greenville, volunteers will be “bell ringing” at The Kitchen Aid Experience, Eikenberry’s IGA and both entrances at the Walmart Supercenter. Contributions also can be made at Sutton’s Super Value in Arcanum, the Greenville National Bank in Ansonia and the New Madison Mini Mart.
Donations will be collected at Kroger and Rural King for both the Salvation Army and the Darke County Community Christmas Drive. Funds going to the Salvation Army end up helping people locally through the Darke County Office for Community Action Partnership.
Dave Knapp Ford Lincoln and the main office of Greenville Federal also will collect funds.
Churches helping with the “bell ringing” include Coletown Christian, Greenville Missionary, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, St. Paul’s Lutheran, St. Paul’s Episcopal, Bible Fellowship, First United Methodist, Stelvideo Christian, East Zion, Trinity Wesleyan, Greenville Church of Brethren, Evangelical United Methodist, First Presbyterian, Beamsville Christian, Fort Jefferson, Cedar Grove, New Madison United Methodist and First Universalist Church in New Madison.
The Castine Church of the Brethren, the Arcanum Lions Club, Faith United Methodist and the Community of Faith Church will help with the effort in Arcanum while various churches help in Ansonia.
Organizations helping out include in the Lions Club and the Greenville National Bank in addition to the Rotary and the Kiwanis, who cover all 10 days of the drive. Also collecting funds every day of the drive are the Oakland Church of the Brethren, St. John’s Lutheran Church and St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
Last year people stepped up and gave the largest amount ever collected, $30,915.73, which went to help the work of FISH, Community Unity, the Grace Resurrection Community Center, the Faith United Methodist Food Bank in Arcanum, the Ansonia United Methodist Food Bank and the Castine Area Food Bank. No money is paid to any of the volunteers, and all of the proceeds remain in Darke County.
Besides the various locations around the area, donations also can be made to the Darke County Community Christmas Drive at P.O. Box 412, Greenville, OH 45331 or by dropping off a donation to Community Christmas Drive Treasurer Mike Boyer at the main branch of the Greenville National Bank.
Any questions about the drive can be directed to Co-Chairman Joseph Soley at 937-547-0533.
