WORTON — Nearly 1,000 boxes packed with nonperishable food items, plus toys and gift cards and hats and gloves for 500-plus area youth, were carted out of the Kent County Community Center last week as the Christmas Basket program sponsored by the county’s five Lions clubs entered the home stretch.
All that was left to be done after that were deliveries.
In terms of logistics, this might be the largest all-volunteer effort with the greatest impact in Kent County.
This year, about 500 families are benefiting from the generosity of others. That’s an increase over last year, according to longtime volunteer Debbie Conner of the Galena Lions Club. She’s been in charge of the program since 2022.
Conner said 998 boxes were sent out this year.
Some households, depending on size, will receive two, four or even six boxes.
There’s also been an uptick in the number of youth [newborn up through age 18] who will find something under their Christmas tree — 577 this year compared to 480 last year.
“I always knew there was a lot of need, but I didn’t know it was this much,” said McKenna Messick, a Kent County High School junior who was helping to pack boxes at the community center on Monday, Dec. 16.
“I didn’t know about the program until this year,” said Messick, a member of the high school’s Interact Club, which is Rotary International’s service club for youth ages 12 to 18.
“I think it’s super cool to help people,” she told The Evening Enterprise.
A total of 13 Interact Club members and the club’s longtime advisor, Ida Nabb, worked shoulder-to-shoulder with Washington College admissions and athletic department staffers, community members, Chestertown Christian Academy students and their service project leader Anna Harrison, Kent County 4-H’ers and local Lions — all volunteering for the greater good.
“It’s lovely, helping people out,” said Interact Club member Michael Walters, a veteran volunteer.
Nabb handed out high marks to her students.
“They like to do this,” she said. “And they understand what a service it is to the community versus just being an opportunity to get out of class.”
Emi Gauss, Brianna Villers and Olivia Loller were among the nine CCA seniors who were volunteering for the first time. Loller expressed a shared sentiment when she said, “There’s a lot of people in need, and it’s a good feeling to be able to help.”
One of the most experienced volunteers is Lulu Hurtt, who has been involved for about 30 years — ever since she has been employed at Heron Point retirement community in Chestertown, where she is the nutrition services manager.
It’s become her own Christmas tradition for Hurtt to collect donations of toys from Heron Point residents and staff, and then to take time off on packing day.
Why does she keep coming back?
“Our community needs the help,” Hurtt told The Evening Enterprise, “and there are less and less people who join a club and stay.”
While the history of the Christmas Basket program is a little fuzzy, it has been going on for decades and the late Rosalie “Roey” Goodall is credited with becoming involved early.
Wife of the then-president of Dixon Valve & Coupling Co., which relocated its headquarters to Chestertown in 1976, Goodall worked tirelessly with the Department of Social Services and area churches to make sure that as many less-fortunate families as possible would have a Christmas dinner and something under their Christmas tree.
Goodall and her anonymous helpers made up the Christmas Basket Committee, and that’s what they delivered. Christmas baskets.
The name stuck, while it’s boxes — with the Dixon logo — that are now delivered. They are filled identically with nourishing food such as canned ham, cereal, canned vegetables and fruits, pancake mix, pasta, peanut butter and jelly, and desserts. Plus, there are gift cards that can be redeemed at Sassy River Market in Galena and Bayside Market in Rock Hall.
Since 2000, the program has been led by the Lions clubs in Betterton-Still Pond, Chestertown, Galena, Millington and Rock Hall.
Fifteen years ago, Kent County 4-H’ers came on board. They have their own toy drive but also partner with Jennifer’s School of Dance, the fire companies’ Santa Run, Washington College Athletics, a teddy bear toss at KCHS, Radcliffe Creek School, Kent School and downtown Chestertown businesses — among others.
Teenagers receive gift cards to McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbucks, Dollar General and Amazon.
“The Lions are fantastic!!!” Beth Hill, the principal agent associate for 4-H youth development in Kent County, told The Evening Enterprise in an email.
“We were both doing the same thing before we joined together 15 years ago, which allowed the toy portion of the Christmas baskets to grow. They didn’t have to worry about it any more and we came in with the youth and volunteers. The Lions also have the delivery mechanism in place and organize all the logistics, which greatly helped us. It has been just a fantastic partnership!!”
Hill said the support from across the county is wonderful.
For 4-H, it’s a long service project that begins with planning in late October.
Nearly 70 people — 4-H’ers, their families and friends — helped to sort toys on Sunday, Dec. 15 at the community center.
“The cool part is that this is a youth event,” Hill said. “Our 4-H youth give wholeheartedly to this project and volunteer a lot of time — some well over 20 hours per year.”
Hill shared a story about 10-year-old Mia, who came to the 4-H booth at the Chestertown Farmers Market on Dec. 7.
“She asked what we were doing, so I explained our project,” Hill recounted. “She dug in her coat and pulled out her wallet. Inside she had two $1 bills. She took out one of the crinkly dollars and put it in our donation can. … It was one of the kindest gestures we saw. We thanked her profusely and just wanted to tell her parents who were at another booth, what a wonderful young lady she was and how kind she was.”
