The News Neediest Fund
Folks open their hearts and wallets to the needy
Despite tough economy, generosity abounds
From extra pennies saved on a dresser, to a coffee pot, to thousands of dollars and a minivan, Western New Yorkers responded to the need in the community this year — each according to their means.
Readers answered the plea Sunday for more donations to The News Neediest Fund, and $38,000 was collected in three days. Included in that amount was a personal check for $10,000 from one of the many Western New Yorkers who have stepped up to help others.
Countless others have offered to help those families in the area facing layoffs, illness and hard times. They include a Lancaster car dealer and a Lockport second- grader.
Madison Scott is one of the people who took the need for toys to heart. The Lockport youngster started by donating half of her Christmas toys to the fund, and she asked family, friends and neighbors to help out, too. She used the money from cash donations to buy toys.
By the time the 7-year-old and her father dropped off the toys last week, she had four bikes and more than 300 toys, as well as big plans for next year.
And she had also discovered the secret of giving: “It makes me very happy,” she said. “It makes me feel better than I’ve ever felt.”
“Given what the economy is, I would say the community is exceedingly generous,” said Michele A. Magaris, project manager for The News Neediest Fund.
The News Neediest Fund is part of the Western New York Holiday Partnership, a collaboration of large toy giveaway programs in Erie and Niagara counties. This year more than 13,000 children had gifts under their trees thanks to the fund. Monetary donations were used to purchase 12,000 holiday meals. As of Wednesday, $194,400 had been donated to the fund, compared with $228,000 last year.
The story of a West Seneca couple whose 1992 van died, leaving them with a 1996 Dodge Caravan that was acting up, touched James D. Basil, the president of Joe Basil Chevrolet.
“I read the article in The News about the neediest family last week and said, ‘Hey, what a great time to step up and help the family out,’ ” he said.
Basil Chevrolet presented Kelly Reeves and Christ Christopher of West Seneca and their seven children a 2005 Chevrolet Uplander. He knew it would help ease the burden for Reeves, who works in Buffalo, and Christopher, who takes the children, some with medical, developmental and emotional problems, to their many appointments.
The generosity was particularly timely. Last weekend, after Reeves finished work, her vehicle wouldn’t start. She had to leave it parked where it was, and it was plowed in during the cleanup after the storm. She wasn’t sure whether it would ever start again.
Basil, whose dealership also collects toys every year, passed on accolades to his employees.
“Because of them and their hard work, it has enabled us to reach out to the community to help this family. This is what Christmas is all about,” he said. “I’m glad we could help.”
Tessa, 9; Troy, 15; and Billy, 17, made the trip to the dealership Tuesday with their parents to pick up the forest green van. They were ecstatic. Billy made noises about driving it, and Tessa and Troy couldn’t wait to try out the DVD player.
“I’m still speechless,” Christopher said. “It doesn’t seem real.”
When they opened the trunk, it was filled with presents, distributed by Western New York AmeriCorps, a member of the Holiday Partnership. The family had sought help for Christmas from the agency.
But the family, while awed by the generosity shown them, has not forgotten others. One of the children, Ericka, 15, made $25 shoveling and went to Kmart to buy pajamas, hats and gloves for those less fortunate than she is. She brought them to a gift drive at her school.
There are others, like the single mother of 10-month-old triplets, urging that another family with greater needs be put in the spotlight because her children were not old enough to look forward to a gift at Christmas.
And they were helped by many others whose names will never be known, from Cub Scouts and schoolchildren to white-collar workers and retirees on fixed incomes.
“We may not have every dollar we had last year, but we had enough,” said Magaris. “We know all the Western New York partner agencies who served families were able to meet the need of the family.”
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