Readers deposited $1,441 worth of coins and other donations to the Coins for Kids campaign this Christmas.
“I would like to thank our readers and the community who dug deep and gave to this cause,” said Jim Parker, publisher of the Peninsula News Review. “Thanks to their generous donations, many children received toys this year that might otherwise have gone without. This showed the true spirit of Christmas.”
The money raised through the Coins for Kids campaign goes to the Kiwanis Club of Sidney and the Peninsula, which buys gifts for children who would otherwise go without.
“Our cash donations were definitely down over last year, but actual toy donations were up,” said Kelly Ward, president of the Kiwanis Club of Sidney and Peninsula. “The toy donations we received were amazing – a wide range of high quality gifts. We also received some larger gifts, such as electronics and air hockey tables, which we decided to distribute as family gifts.”
The Kiwanis provided gifts for 444 kids, from newborns to age 13, an increase of 13 per cent over last year. They also provided clothing for another 37 individuals.
While Coins for Kids donations were down from the 2010 total of $2,039, the cash still made an impact. With those funds, Kiwanis members purchase gifts to fill a lack of donated toys, common in the baby and teen age groups.
While they’re still tallying up their final cash donations, Kiwanis have the small surplus they like heading into the next holiday season.
“It looks like we’ll have a good start for next year,” Ward said. “We do have a start for next year, but if we look at the trend, there will be an even larger need next year.”
reporter@peninsulanewsreview.com