Past Newsletters
Story by Connie Burgdorf
“”Do all the good you can… in all the ways you can… for as long as you ever can”
— Jerome Katzin
Huntingburg can boast of wonderful people that have always done all the good they can in all the ways they can. It starts with neighbor helping neighbor, a civic organization mobilizing individuals, to showering those in need with assistance. We care, we help, we give. A simple philosophy that makes it possible for our community to have the Huntingburg Assistance Fund.
The Assistance Fund provides much needed funds to disadvantaged families in our area, allowing them to enjoy the holiday season just as those fortunate enough to have a warm home and hearty meal with your family.
The Assistance Fund grew from the origins of the Christmas Food Basket program, and remains a City of Huntingburg project. Donations of foodstuffs were solicited from individuals and businesses, and then distributed to needy families at the time of year when some families are financially strapped or meagerly getting by with the basics.
Though the donation of foodstuffs was heartwarming and much appreciated, this method was also time-consuming and labor intensive. It required receiving the food, storing and sorting it, and finally, assembling and distributing the baskets.
Former Mayor Gail Kemp recalls, “There were challenges, not only in logistics, but determining the likes and dislikes of each family, such as who liked turnips and who didn’t, who would want a ham dinner instead of turkey, and were other needs being met beyond what the donations could meet?”
In 1996, Former Mayor Kemp thought there had to be a better, simpler way. He plotted a new course of action. “Instead of food donations being collected and stored at the city office then assembled in baskets and delivered, why not solicit only monetary donations,” Kemp said.
Those donations were then used to purchase gift certificates that would allow families to purchase the food that they needed and enjoyed. This would also eliminate the labor and expense of assembling and delivering the baskets.
City employees as well as civic organizations and individuals continue to promote the fund in every way they can with an overwhelming response. Thousands of dollars are contributed by individuals, corporations, and organizations.
The Huntingburg Foundation became involved as the fiscal agent for the tax-deductible charitable contributions by recording each donation in a pass-thru account, then forwarding the money to City Hall for proper disbursement of gifts.
Names of deserving families are gathered and verified by City Hall and gift certificates for each family are purchased. Just before Christmas, the certificates are delivered to the recipients by first class mail.
As the holiday season approaches, your charitable contributions make all the difference to our families in need.
Originally Published October 8, 2008
