(Above) Catholic Charities Angel Tree volunteer Ellen Goodell pauses during her work as the Western Region Office fills up with gifts.ASHEVILLE — Western North Carolina generosity, combined with the dedication of Catholic Charities’ Western Regional Office staff and volunteers, led to more than 300 people receiving gifts through the Angel Tree program in 2021 – a 20 percent increase over last year’s effort. Over half of recipients were children and seniors.
For families in need or in crisis, Christmas can be a challenging and stressful time. Many people are worrying about how to pay for their rent, utilities, food and more, while simultaneously trying to buy Christmas gifts for loved ones. The COVID-19 pandemic – and resulting unemployment or underemployment – has aggravated the financial problems many people in western North Carolina already endure.
The Christmas outreach was a true team effort between Catholic Charities’ Western Regional Office and surrounding parishes, including St. Lawrence Basilica in Asheville, St. Margaret Mary Church in Swannanoa, St. Joan of Arc Church in Candler and St. Eugene Church in Asheville. Catholic Charities connected people facing economic hardship who needed help with donors and parishioners who wanted to lend a hand for the holidays.
The effort took nearly four months to pull off.
Kitty Tuck Murphy, a bilingual volunteer, was instrumental in collecting gift request information from Spanish-speaking families, talking with parents to gather meaningful gift requests. Volunteers noted that many families’ requests were simple: shoes and warm clothes.
Donna Bange, Catholic Charities volunteer, digitized the requests for local parishes to access more easily.
People of goodwill purchased gifts, then dropped them off at the Western Regional Office in Asheville. Many parishioners provided financial donations. Lyndsey Parham, bilingual case management coordinator for Catholic Charities, said, “These financial donations were invaluable to supplement gift donations and to address last-minute requests.”
The Angel Tree team: Donna Simon (volunteer), Kitty Tuck Murphy (volunteer), Susan Loveland (volunteer and advisory board member), Ellen Goodell (volunteer), Maddy Rhinehart (staff), Donna Bange (volunteer), Hilary Kalisch (staff) and Lyndsey Parham (staff). (Photos provided by Catholic Charities)Susan Loveland, another WRO volunteer, reflected, “This year it was truly a privilege to participate in the Angel Tree project. As always, the parish donors were generous and thoughtful in choosing their gifts. One donor actually made a baby quilt with symbols of Jesus and Christmas. My own special joy in the process is making sure every gift is just right for that person, and then adding a little something extra from our donations to bring a sense of Christmas joy and surprise.”
Volunteer Ellen Goodell said, “It’s always an honor to be one of ‘Santa’s helpers’ and a rewarding challenge to get the perfect gift request fulfilled.”
Catholic Charities volunteer Donna Simon worked behind the scenes to ensure that gifts were received, tracked and accounted for. The gifts were distributed to families in need over two weeks leading up to Christmas. Catholic Charities Volunteer and Impact Coordinator Maddy Rhinehart recalled that while distributing Angel Tree gifts to participants, “Even under their masks, you could see the smiles and sincere thanks for being remembered and helped by this generous spirit of giving.”
Jesse Boeckermann, Western Region Office director, reflected, “We are so grateful for the flexibility of volunteers and donors as we worked to collect, organize and ensure families received their gifts. When the families came by to pick up their gifts, it made the whole effort worthwhile. The 2021 Angel Tree program is a testament to the community spirit so present and vibrant in the greater Asheville area and western North Carolina. The Holy Spirit was at work to ensure that over 300 people were blessed during the Christmas season.”
— Catholic Charities Western Region Office