Rotary working to share holiday cheer

Help Rotary spread holiday cheer here at home
Giving is more important than ever this year
For more than a decade, the Skaneateles area community has joined with Rotarians to provide holiday cheer for local families in need.
“This year, the pandemic has changed HOW this will be done, but it hasn’t changed WHY,” said Rotary President David Lee. “As much as or more than ever before, local families need a boost this holiday season.”
The $10,000+ that has been raised in previous years has gone straight to local food pantries and to Skaneateles Outreach for the holiday food baskets and gifts for families in need.
“We will do the same – or better – this year,” said Rotarian Roberta Williams, who is chairing a different kind of Holiday Gift Basket committee this year. “In previous years, we gathered with friends in a fun and festive way to celebrate the season while focusing on the needs of others. This year, we won’t gather – but we believe we have the opportunity to do better through this great virtual fundraiser,” she said. “We hope more people than ever before will choose to donate.”
The benefits are multiple: the donations will benefit families in need AND the local economy, said Jacque McConnaghy of Skaneateles Outreach. Some of the donations will be turned into gift cards for families to do their own shopping, she said.
Due to the pandemic, families and senior citizens will receive gift cards from Tops from the Skaneateles Food Pantry. This is hoped to be safer and more cost effective (allowing everyone to choose what they need). In addition, rather than extensive shopping for gifts, Skaneateles Outreach will provide gift cards so that families can purchase their own gifts locally. (In addition, there will be gift cards to places like Walmart and Target). “It will be a hybrid holiday season – to keep everyone safe,” McConnaghy said.
“The Outreach office is available for members of our community who are experiencing difficulties and need help navigating the road ahead,” McConnaghy said. ([email protected].   315-685-0427). The Skaneateles Food Pantry has been serving families with new limited hours and procedures. Families call ahead and then pull up at the bus garage for a masked pick up. A similar procedure will be used for when families receive their gift cards to Tops with the money that will be raised in the Rotary Club’s Holiday Food Basket Virtual Fundraiser.   Judy Gelston is the contact for Food Pantry Information at (315) 685-3512.
At the Spafford Food Pantry, things are up and running as usual, with precautions. The money received through the Rotary Fundraiser will be put, as always, toward the pre-packed boxes of food that will be picked up by families in need. The contacts are Debbie Brown (607) 749-7780 and Lisa Valletta (315) 439-9771.
Donate to this annual Rotary Club Holiday Gift Basket on line at https://skaneatelesrotary.com/donate (skaneatelesrotary.com/donate) or write checks to Skaneateles Rotary Foundation, and mail to: Skaneateles Rotary Club, P.O. Box 316, Skaneateles, NY 13152.