Truckee Community Christmas History:

Years ago many groups and people in Truckee were variously gathering foods, toys, monies and gifts for families at Christmas time and were shooting from the hip in trying to find families to give to.  Community Care did some of this but didn't have a relationship with county groups who had family names and they tended to keep the foods for their all year round program as well as some of the monetary donations (they had an office and did distributions during the year as they saw fit).  They did, however, hand out a little of the money they received to whatever families they could find, handing out applications to whomever came into a thrift store here in town and some from the schools & churches...the Soroptimists have gathered toys for over 20 years and would give those out at the time Community Care gave out the monies, and for a number of years no food was given away at Christmas. .

 

Truckee Community Christmas as it is today:

Truckee Community Christmas, Inc. was organized as an umbrella group who coordinates all the activities at Christmas; a) finding families through agencies, schools, daycare, preschool, head-start, social services, health services, word-of-mouth, etc.  These families are picked by these agencies as being in true need, not just because the families want to be in on a distribution program; b) do publicity & put out information flyers in order to let the community know what's going on; c) solicit monies to be used for food gift certificates for the families; d) work with the various groups who are collecting toys, foods, warm coats and gifts; e) find a distribution place each year; f) find volunteers to help with toy collecting, sorting and wrapping as well as collect, sort and pack foodstuffs; and g) coordinate distribution day.