Help Give Holiday Meals to 300 Pontiac Families

Imagine your family’s holiday celebration, but without the roasted turkey, glazed ham, buttery mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, or pumpkin pie. As expenses accumulate, families continue to struggle to make ends meet, and many will sacrifice their holiday meal. But with your help, we can change this reality for 300 needy Pontiac families who would otherwise go without a meal.

Each Thanksgiving and Christmas The Baldwin Center distributes 300 food baskets to area families who are in need. Each family receives a box of non-perishable goods as well as fresh items such as milk, eggs, bread, and most importantly: a turkey. Each basket, which also includes paper towels and toilet paper, provides enough food to feed a family of four for approximately three weeks.

Baldwin also opens a holiday store for two days in mid-December to allow families a chance to do their holiday “shopping,” with the goal that every parent can provide his or her child with both clothing and toys or personal items. By shopping, families have some choice about what gifts and clothing they will give one another, and wrapping paper and tape are supplied so they can wrap the gifts themselves. New gifts of toys, clothing and household items are needed for these families. Gifts are needed for over 1,200 individuals.

To reach its goal of serving 300 needy families this holiday season, Baldwin Center needs the help of civic associations, school groups, faith-based organizations, companies, and individuals, to hold can-drives, initiate fundraising, host giving-trees, make donations, ask neighbors for donations, and deliver food, gifts, and goods to the Baldwin Center facility in Pontiac.

Baldwin Center Executive Director Lisa Machesky acknowledges that “times are incredibly tough and uncertain [but] we are asking for people to stretch. A big meal and presents are central parts of every holiday celebration and we want to make sure these families with young children have access to this important holiday tradition.”

Food donations are needed by early Monday November 21^st for Thanksgiving and early Monday December 19^th for Christmas. New gifts are needed by December 15^th.