Spirit of the Season is thrilled that so many people have responded to assist families in south county, even though many themselves are suffering during these harsh economic times.

Living in a small town with core values that we all join together to help one another is one of the reasons we love living in Lake County.

Food donations are coming from so many sources, including the local Boy Scouts, Twin Pine Casino, the local schools, the post office and churches, to name but a few.

In the month of November, more than 330 people were served from Hidden Valley Lake, Cobb and Middletown, so we expect Spirit of the Season to be bigger than ever.

Many volunteers are working to sort the food so that boxes can now be prepared for the upcoming distribution on Dec. 18 from St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. Anyone in need of a food box should contact me, Hedy Montoya, at 707-987-8139.

Wish Trees are at Tri-Counties and Westamerica banks, Middletown Florist and Gifts, HVL Realty and Century 21 in HVL and Mt. High Coffee in Cobb.

The community is responding to the wishes of children so as to make their Christmas wishes come true and we are delighted that despite challenging times, folks respond in such generous ways.

As of Nov. 23, we were halfway to our monetary goal so as to attend to the needs of all who sign up for our program.

We give people a box of food, a Christmas dinner and gifts to age appropriate children.

If you can see your way to making a financial donation, please send to Spirit of the Season, P. O. Box 1468, Middletown, CA 95461. Your donation is tax-deductible.

Grateful to the community for all they do!

Hedy Montoya is coordinator for the community holiday program and regional director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa's Lake County programs. The Catholic Charities Office is located at 21257 Calistoga St., Middletown, Calif.