Over 150 families helped for Christmas season
By Robert Tomlinson
News Director
THREE RIVERS — For the first hour or so of Saturday’s food box and toy distribution at the Three Rivers Lions Club, the line of vehicles in need of assistance stretched from the club’s hall on Sixth Avenue nearly all the way to the bend of M-60 near Hoffman Road.
It was emblematic of the amount of families the club helped out during their annual distributions, which reached just over 150 families from all over the county getting food and gifts for the holiday season.
“We know the need’s there, but to actually be able to see the need in progress and getting some of the need met makes you feel really good,” Jeff Mayuiers from the Three Rivers Lions Club said. “That was kind of special today to see all that being done.”
Many of the 150 families that showed up came in the first hour, with the line moving fairly smoothly; those who were eligible that signed up ahead of time handed in their registration forms, then pulled ahead to receive their food boxes, and then pulled up further for toys if they needed any.
Food boxes this year consisted of canned goods collected during a food drive at Three Rivers Community Schools, dry goods such as macaroni, pasta and cereal – with the cereal coming in the form of a case of cereal boxes courtesy of Kellogg’s, a 10-pound bag of potatoes courtesy of Walther Farms, a 5-pound bag of apples, and a certificate for meat from Harding’s.
For some people, they received a little extra: a pumpkin pie thanks to American Axle, the first time that has been available. Mayuiers said it was something that came up just days before the distribution.
“They have a new group working with their HR group, and they said, you know, we gave out pumpkin pies the other day, and we have all of these left,” Mayuiers said. “They called me up and asked, is this something you could work with your food stuff? I was like, well, we’ve never tried that. We got 60 pies in total, and they’re really large pumpkin pies, and they’re going well.”
In all, Mayuiers said that nearly 70 individuals, organizations and businesses pitched in to help with this year’s distribution effort. He said having the community support for their efforts was “very special.”
“I think that’s really one thing that’s important, seeing the community reach out and help,” Mayuiers said. “It’s very special the community does that, pitches in and tries to provide help this time of the year.”
As far as the toys, the Three Rivers girls’ basketball team pitched in to gather the toys for distribution, as well as helped with the food distribution portion. It continues a decade-long tradition to have the team help out and volunteer. In exchange, the Lions Club will recognize the team at a future home game for the Wildcats.
This year, the Lions Club was able to expand the areas of which they can help families out. Families in Sturgis and White Pigeon were added this year, to go along with Three Rivers, Constantine, Mendon, and other areas. The expansion was thanks in part to the Lions Club’s connections with the state’s Department of Health and Human Services.
“We work with DHHS, and we’ve said where else, where do you have the need, if you need to send more people our way, we’re set up and ready,” Mayuiers said. “It’s been a great collaborative effort.”
Those who came through the distribution said they were thankful that the club was able to help them out for the holiday season.
“It’s unbelievable; the Christmas spirit is just really alive,” Courtney Hammond said. “This is pretty big. With six kids, taking in my niece and nephew last year, it’s been a real struggle for us, so this is wonderful.”
“I’m really grateful; we’re a single-income family and I homeschool my four kids, and things have been difficult,” Ashlynn DeWitt said. “This year’s been a lot harder than usual, but this is amazing.”
“It feels great because they’re so good, they’re giving to people,” James Thomas said. “It’s very huge, since things are hard, so this helps out 100 percent.”
“Things have been a little rough, so when we got the letter and everything, it was a nice surprise because the holidays have been a little difficult for us this year,” Amber Miller said. “It’s really a huge help. Even trying to plan something for Christmas, all of us are having our own struggles, so we’re trying to figure out what we’re going to do for food and how to get everybody together and all that, so this is going to be a huge help.”
“It makes me really happy knowing that my kids are going to get a good Christmas, because this year was a bad year. I’m very thankful,” Tara Dennis said. “This helps families that don’t have what most families should have, so it’s really good. I thank the people that donated all the stuff for us, too.”
Mayuiers said seeing the people they’re helping out makes the volunteers “really humble” when they see their reactions to getting the help they need with food and toys.
“I don’t think anybody comes through that line that doesn’t say thank you, and some people tell you about the need they have or what it means to them. We get a lot of Christmas and thank-you cards,” Mayuiers said. “We know these are people that say thank you and need whatever it might be. It makes you really humble, I think, more than anything else.”
Overall, though, Mayuiers said the biggest part of all is being able to serve those who need help this holiday season.
“The mission of a Lion is to serve. This is one way when you’re a Lion you’re actually knowing that you’re serving the needs of others. It doesn’t have to be anything large, but this is actually one thing you know that when you’re doing it, you see the smile on their faces, you know you’re doing something that’s worthwhile and you know you’re doing something good for someone else. That’s what it’s all about,” Mayuiers said.
Robert Tomlinson can be reached at 279-7488 or robert@wilcoxnewspapers.com.
