GREENVILLE – The 2019 Darke County Community Christmas Drive is coming up and another great year is being expected. Starting just after Thanksgiving on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 29 and 30, donations may be made at 12 different locations throughout the county. The efforts will continue on Fridays and Saturdays, Dec. 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 and 21, Monday, Dec. 23 and until noon on Tuesday, Dec. 24. At many locations donations will be gratefully accepted between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.
In Greenville, volunteers will be bell ringing at The KitchenAid Experience, Eikenberry’s IGA and both entrances at the Walmart Supercenter. Contributions can also be made at Sutton’s Super Value in Arcanum, 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 of Community Action Partnership. Dave Knapp Ford Lincoln, SVG Chevrolet and the main office of Greenville Federal will also be collecting 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 the Brethren, Evangelical United Methodist, First Presbyterian, Beamsville Christian, Fort Jefferson, Cedar Grove and the First Universalist Church in New Madison. The Castine Church of the Brethren, the Arcanum Lion’s Club, Faith United Methodist and the Community of Faith Church will help with the effort in Arcanum and various churches help in Ansonia. Organizations helping include the Gettysburg Lion’s 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 and St. John’s Lutheran Church with St. Mary’s Catholic Church covering several days. The work of all of these volunteers is greatly appreciated.
Last year, people generously stepped up and gave the largest amount ever collected, $32,091.61, which went to help the good work of the FISH Choice Pantry, Community Unity, Grace Resurrection Community Center, the Faith United Methodist Food Bank in Arcanum, the Ansonia United Methodist Food Bank and the Castine Area Food Bank, in addition to the Salvation Army.
No money is paid to any of the volunteers and all of the proceeds remain in Darke County.
In addition to the various locations around the area, donations can also be made to the Darke County Community Christmas Drive by mailing them to the East Main Church of Christ, P.O. Box 867, Greenville, Ohio 45331 or by dropping off a donation to Community Christmas Drive Treasurer Mike Boyer at the main branch of the Greenville National Bank. Questions about the drive can be directed to Co-Chairman Frank Marchal at (937) 569-1439.
