Page 18 - DEC2023

Page 18 NEWFOUNDLAKELIFE.COM December 2023 Community
Plymouth Fire-Rescue's Operation Santa Claus
By Donna RhoDes
Operation Santa Claus is up and running full steam ahead as the men and women of Plym- outh Fire-Rescue are busy help- ing Santa bring smiles to all the boys and girls of their commu- nity once again this year.
An ongoing tradition of the Plymouth Fireman’s Associa- tion, Operation Santa Claus seeks the help and support of the public each year in shop- ping for children who are twelve years old and younger. Under the umbrella of the Toys for Tots national campaign, stuffed animals, toys, games, and sports equipment are among the items they collect through Stuff-a- Truck events at Walmart and
Toys for Tots drop-boxes. Those drop boxes are located in several Plymouth businesses. Donations, both unwrapped gifts and cash/ checks, can also be delivered to the fire department at 42 High- land Street.
“The only thing is clothes; that’s hard for us to do (sizes, styles, etc.), so we try to shy away from that,” said Tonya Mayo, chair of this year’s holiday oper- ations.
Besides the need for dona- tions, they still have applications available for local families who could use some assistance in ful- filling a few Christmas wishes this year. The application asks for information such as the name and age of each child as well as their interests, hobbies, or a spe-
cial item they might enjoy. The applications can be downloaded and printed from the Plymouth Fire-Rescue Facebook page or picked up at the fire station. Once completed, they should be brought back to the station along with proof of physical residence in Plymouth, such as a utility bill or something similar. Interested families need to hurry, however, as the deadline to apply is Friday, Dec. 8. Last year, Mayo said the Fireman’s Association was able to assist children from 94 fami- lies through the generosity of the public.
Donations will continue to be accepted for this year’s Operation Santa Claus until Dec. 14. That cutoff date allows the association time to shop with the funds they
receive and then wrap and bag up all the gifts they collect. Mayo said it is usually “all hands on deck” at the station for the two- day flurry of checking the wishes on each application and then assembling the gifts for each household. Sometimes, not all the special wishes can be fulfilled, but each year, the group does its very best. Luckily, when
it comes to wrapping it all, they have plenty
of help. Everyone from association members to fire- fighters, staff, and
even their spouses
and older children to
meet the deadline pitches in to meet the deadline. Adult family members who applied to the pro- gram are then asked to pick up their bagged gifts on Sat. Dec. 16 between 9 and 11 a.m. at the Highland St. fire station.
Anyone with questions about
Operation Santa Claus can find more information on their Face- book page or call the station at 603-536-1253 during normal business hours.
Plymouth Walmart Gives Big for Kids and Upcoming Events at the TTCC
The Tapply-Thompson Community Center would like to send out a Huge Thank You to the Plymouth Walmart and their Managers, Melissa Clay- ton and Lawrence Bellucci, for their donations of food items for our Every Child is Ours – Weekend Food Supplement Pro- gram. Since May of this year, the Plymouth Walmart has do- nated $1,000 worth of food to our program, with their most recent donation arriving just last week. With their help, we have been able to meet the increasing need for food assistance this year, Thank you so much!
In other TTCC news, please check your mailboxes for our 2023-2024 Annual Fund Ap- peal Letter, where we ask for your help in supporting the pro- grams and special events that we put on every year. This year, in addition to our mailed Appeal Letter, we will be holding a spe- cial day of giving on November 28th, known as Giving Tuesday. For a 24-hour period, you can go to our website at https://ttccrec. org/ and help send someone to Summer Camp, attend a sports program, or complete one of our Capital Building Projects we cur- rently have underway.