There isn’t a prettier sound than that of a few coins dropping into a bucket at Vardaman Elementary this time of year.
This is the 15th year the school has organized its “Change for Christmas” program aiming to help some less fortunate families in the community have a better holiday.
They started collecting change in mid-October and continue into December. Buckets are placed in each classroom where students and teachers can drop change.
There are also a number of citizens and businesses around town that support the program with donations.
The selected families fill out a form that has clothes sizes for everyone in the household and a few “Christmas wish” items for the children. Each year the program serves almost 30 families.
“I think we had more than 100 children last year,” said Jessica Easley, one of the project organizers. She also led a couple fundraisers, including a dinner at Tommy Scarbrough’s Music Room, to help with the project.
“We’ve had some families that let us know the following year they’re in a better situation and don’t need it,” said Jeannie Winter, one of the programs founders. “That’s really good, but we have a lot that we continue to serve year after year, because they still are in desperate need.”
They work with not just elementary children, but all Vardaman Schools’ students.
“We want to help everyone who needs help,” said Annie Anderson, another of the founders. “If you stand there (at the front door) every morning, you see children come in who obviously need help. We also have teachers who know their students’ situations well and let us know.”
“The majority of these kids have been here since kindergarten, so we know the families and their situation,” Anderson said.
They approach families before adding them to the program to make certain they don’t offend anyone by providing them help.
“I visited one the other day. It’s a grandmother raising kids and she’s been sick and unable to work. She told me, ‘The Lord answers prayers. Bless you.’ I told her we get blessed by working with this project,” Anderson said.
The buckets of change are deposited each week and in a few weeks a number of volunteer shoppers will take all the lists and go purchase the items for the families. School staff then put it all together in black garbage bags to hide the contents and places a number on the bags.
“We use numbers so no names are known to protect the families. The families come here to pick it up and we want them to wrap them and fix the items how they want them,” Anderson said. “We tell them we don’t want any credit. You tell the children the gifts are from you or from Santa.”
Easley also leads a food drive at the same time so each family in the program receives a box of food along with the gifts. If there is any money left a voucher is included for the families to purchase necessities at Mounce.
“People don’t realize the need that’s out there,” Winter said. “Some of these kids, when they’re out of school for the holidays, don’t get enough to eat.”
“We have kids that tell us they’re excited to be back in school because there is lots of food here and they get breakfast and lunch,” Anderson said. “That breaks your heart.”
More than $1,500 had been raised entering Thanksgiving holidays.
“People have been so great and the children get excited to contribute,” Easley said.
“A lot of people are very supportive of this program wanting everyone to have a wonderful Christmas,” Winter said. “That makes you feel good about living here.”