Dec. 20 2023
BY JOHN BAILEY
Catawba County United Way
This year’s Christmas Bureau was another example of the power of collaboration by non-profits and public agencies in Catawba County.
In 2023, the program reached 812 families, representing 2,141 youth, including ages 0 – 18.
The Christmas Bureau is an annual collaborative effort by dozens of local organizations along with hundreds of volunteers who pool their resources to provide toys, clothing, food and coats to children and teenagers during the Christmas season.
This year the event was held at the Hickory Furniture Mart on Dec. 12 and 13 as a drive thru for families.
And the Christmas Bureau has a lot of moving parts, going from periodic meetings starting in January to distribution days in December.
Toys are gathered through The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program, Toys for Tots, and other individual donations while the Hickory Soup Kitchen makes sure every family receives a Food Lion gift card. Coats are collected at local dry cleaners and other sites throughout the county.
The Hickory Fire Department helps provide bikes for the event (450 this year), while Century Furniture helps purchase tricycles.
The Catawba County United Way Teen Christmas program makes sure teens ages 13-18 are not forgotten. This requires seeking donations from the public and community organizations like Rotary Clubs, businesses, schools and churches. Shurtape Technologies is also a significant supporter of the CCUW’s Teen Christmas program.
The primary committee partners for the 2023 Catawba County Christmas Bureau included: Catawba Co. Sheriff's Dept., Catawba Co. Partnership for Children, Catawba Co. Dept. of Social Services, Catawba County United Way, Catawba County School district, City of Hickory Fire Dept., Catawba County United Way Teen Christmas, Eastern Catawba Cooperative Christian Ministry, Greater Hickory Cooperative Christian Ministry, Hickory Soup Kitchen, Hickory Public School district, Marine Toys for Tots, Newton-Conover City School district, The Salvation Army of Greater Hickory and Safe Kids Catawba Co.
Applications for 2024 will be taken in October. To learn more about the Christmas Bureau, call the Catawba County United Way at 828-327-6851.
See more Photos at THIS LINK.