Even though the Christmas season feels like it just got started, the big day is less than two weeks away.
The lights are up, carols are on the radio and the prospect of snow becomes more likely every day. And for those putting together this year’s Good Cheer Fund, the more it feels like the holidays, the more the community’s generosity and giving spirit will increase.
After a slow start to the month, Good Cheer Fund volunteers are hopeful that donations will pick up momentum as Christmas approaches. As of late last week, $2,242 had come in to the fund, which provides baskets of food to 800 needy households throughout the county.
At the same time in 2015, people had given $5,452.
“It is slow out of the gate. But maybe a little snow and cold will help remind people of the season,” said Jacob Sappenfield, chairman of the Good Cheer Fund. “It’s a little slow, but we’re getting to the time where people remember what Christmas is about.”
The Good Cheer Fund is a Johnson County holiday tradition dating back to 1921. This year, organizers plan to provide baskets of fresh food, such as ham, chicken, eggs and cheese, in addition to canned goods to ensure needy families have a Christmas dinner and meals for days after.
The first round of deliveries will take place Saturday in Greenwood and the Center Grove area. The rest of the county will receive baskets the morning of Dec. 24.
Low donations will have a limited impact on this year’s 800 baskets. Organizers try to keep a cushion of savings in the account of between $20,000 and $25,000 going into January, and Sappenfield can plan throughout the year based on their reserves.
The bill for the meat, dairy, bread and other groceries for the baskets comes in at around $40,000 each year. Other items, including 35,000 canned and non-perishable goods such as peanut butter, soup and pasta, are all donated by the community.
“We’re responsible enough to make sure we always have the current year taken care of. We don’t have $40,000 saved for the grocery bill, but we’re not far off. Even with a really bad year, we can get there,” he said.
The real concern would be moving forward for delivery in 2017 and beyond. Without that built-in reserve, organizers wouldn’t be able to help as many people.
“We want to have a nice portion for next year so that when we do our planning for the number of baskets, we don’t have to cut that way down because of funding shortfalls,” Sappenfield said. “We want to keep doing 800 baskets, because the need isn’t going down.”
Still, Sappenfield isn’t too concerned about support. An early indicator of how giving will be comes during the Jim Rhoades Memorial Hog Roast, held on Dec. 1. The event generates money for the Good Cheer Fund and the Interchurch Food Pantry, splitting all proceeds between the two causes.
Though donations still are being tallied, the hog roast so far has collected approximately $23,000, said John Auld, chairman of the hog roast for the Rotary Club. With a number of outstanding gifts still needed to be collected, Auld expects the event donations to exceed $25,000.
That’s a good sign for overall giving, Sappenfield said.
“If that was down, it would be a little intimidating trying to figure out what was going on. We’d have to keep reminding people of the importance of the Good Cheer Fund,” he said. “But the hog roast was very busy, so we feel pretty good about that.”
Plans are in place to make the Good Cheer Fund more visible throughout the year, not just in November and December. Sappenfield wants to use social media to show how vital the community is to supporting the fund.
That would help mitigate the impact of one of the Good Cheer Fund’s longtime axioms, touted by former chairman Eddy Teets and passed down over the years.
“Eddy has always said the rule of thumb is, if it snows or it’s cold, it’s always better. We can’t control that, so the challenges we have are in getting the word out and promoting it,” Sappenfield said.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="At a glance" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
What: Good Cheer Fund, an annual effort to pass out holiday food baskets to the needy throughout Johnson County. Baskets include a mix of canned foods and fresh items, such as a ham or chicken, eggs, milk and cheese.
How many: 800 baskets
How to give: Monetary donations are being accepted and can be mailed to the Daily Journal, P.O. Box 699, Franklin, IN 46131, or dropped off at the Daily Journal at 30 S. Water St., Second floor, Suite A, in Franklin.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
