<p>Donations to the annual Good Cheer Fund are lagging, and organizers aren’t exactly sure why.</p>
<p>Maybe it’s because a late Thanksgiving has made for a shorter-than-normal holiday season. Or maybe people weren’t fully thinking about Christmas with the lack of snow.</p>
<p>Regardless of the reason, supporters of the fund will hopefully get in the giving spirit with about a week to go before the food baskets are handed out, said Jacob Sappenfield, chairman of the Good Cheer Fund.</p>
<p>"(Donations) have been slow coming in. We rarely ever get any donations before Thanksgiving, so with it being so late this year, we only have three weeks instead of four," he said.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]
<p>As of Monday, $11,217 had been donated to the fund, a yearly distribution of food to more than 800 households throughout Johnson County.</p>
<p>Compared to that date in 2018, $18,479 had been given. More than $15,000 had been donated by Dec. 16 in 2017.</p>
<p>"I think there will be a big push this week. It’s a little shorter than normal. It’s not bad, but we could use more," he said.</p>
<p>The Good Cheer Fund is a Johnson County holiday tradition dating back to 1921. Baskets are dropped off at local households in need and contain fresh food such as ham, chicken, eggs and cheese for Christmas dinner. In addition, the deliveries include enough canned and non-perishable food so people can eat for days after the holiday.</p>
<p>Applications for the food baskets started going out in late November, and were published in the Daily Journal to better reach those in need. Sappenfield worked with schools, social service agencies and other organizations to get referrals of those families who will benefit most from a food basket.</p>
<p>About 800 baskets will be delivered, with people in Greenwood and the Center Grove area receiving theirs on Dec. 21, and the rest of the county taken care of the morning of Dec. 24.</p>
<p>Organizers planned to distribute 800 baskets this year, but Sappenfield was concerned about how many people would actually apply.</p>
<p>"I thought we might struggle to get there. The economy is good, and maybe fewer people would need it, but we reached that threshold," he said.</p>
<p>Final preparations are ongoing for the deliveries, including picking up canned goods and nonperishable food such as boxed meals, peanut butter and noodles that area schools have been collecting.</p>
<p>More than 25,000 canned goods go into the baskets, all of which are generated by schoolchildren, Sappenfield said.</p>
<p>"That’s a lot of canned goods," he said. "Hopefully it can be a reminder this week: If your kids are being asked to bring in canned goods, a final push here would be good."</p>
<p>This year’s food order is already paid for, so donations made to the fund this year will help ensure that organizers can plan and prepare for next year’s distribution.</p>
<p>Sappenfield hopes with Christmas about a week away, people will be reminded to get their donation checks in.</p>
<p>"It’s good to have snow on the ground; that gets people thinking about it, so I think we’ll see a big jump this week," he said.</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="At a glance" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>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.</p>
<p>How many: About 800 baskets</p>
<p>Distribution: 360 baskets will go to the Franklin, Trafalgar and Bargersville areas; 240 will go to Greenwood and the north side of the county; and 200 will go to the Edinburgh area.</p>
<p>How to give: Monetary donations will be accepted until the end of December. Donations 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.</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]
