Gathering around the table with family and friends for a delicious holiday meal. Waking up Christmas morning to tree adorned with presents.For many families, sadly, these moments are a dream, not a reality.The folks at St. John Central Academy recognize this; and they are doing something about it with their Helping Holidays food and toy drive."It's a real problem in the Ohio Valley," said project co-coordinator and SJCA PTO President Annie Dimmick. "We know it. We've wanted to do something about it for a long time. We just didn't know how to execute it ourselves."So when school nurse and project co-coordinator Tabitha Hendershot approached her with the idea and plan to get it done, both, with the support of school principal Dr. John Rose, hit the ground running.Hard."She had this plan in which we could work with local businesses and organzations to set up food drop off points, as well as an Angel Tree with Christmas wishlist items for Ohio Valley children," Dimmick said. "We put our heads together, devised our plan and in two days had businesses on board."Community Coffee and Tea, Kreations by Krystal, R Barber Shop in Bellaire and the Belmont County Sheriff's Office all agreed to be food drop off points, as well as the school. The school also hosts the Angel Tree, where people and/or business can take a child's card off the tree, purchase the items on the card and return them to the school. They can also make cash donations to assist the project with the purchase of food and toys.The school volunteers and students will then transform the food collected between now and December 15 into full meal baskets for Thanksgiving and Christmas and distribute them to local families in need. They will also distribute the toys to the children.Anyone wishing to donate can bring non-perishable food items to Community Coffee and Tea, Kreations by Krystal, R Barber Shop, St. John Central Academy in Bellaire or the Belmont County Sheriff's Office. To sponsor an Angel Tree child, stop in at the school, check in at the office and select a child from the tree. Cash donations can also be made at the school.The school is grateful to have received so much support from businesses and organizations for this endeavor. They have already received generous donations from the Bellaire American Legion and Belmont Savings Bank."We've never been more excited for a project," Dimmick said. "It inspires the teachers. It inspires the parents. It inspires the students. It inspires the community and we are blessed to have such wonderful community members support us in this mission.""We teach our students to clothe the naked, serve one another and invite the poor to the table; just as Christ taught," Dimmick said. "Teaching it is one thing; doing it is another. Our motto has always been 'Enter to Learn. Leave to Serve'. That is what we do."For more information on how you can assist with the Helping Holidays drive, please call Annie Dimmick at 304-218-1423.
