Many families find themselves in need during the holiday season. Marshall County has multiple organizations that help families in need, and many of them gear up during the holiday season to help.
HopeForMarshallCounty, Emergency Responders and other organizations have joined together to help the community through the holiday season. Some hosting fundraising events for a variety of needs that are in demand.
So many times, a person can forget how something simple like a can of food or a personal hygiene product can mean quite a bit to someone who is in a financial hardship. A warm meal on a special day, or help with buying a toy for a child during Christmas can mean everything to a family.
Even when parents try their hardest, sometimes they come up short. The giving spirit lives in most everyone even when the means aren’t available. With the help of others to ease that hardship, joy and love can be found within a community that joins together.
For anyone who is interested in a warm meal to celebrate Thanksgiving there are places to go. Some even go beyond the holiday season, offering a warm meal weekly or once a month.
They have a staggering schedule to allow the ability to access them on different days. HFMC continually posts updates on the Facebook page “Marshall County Information Page.” A post is made for local meal locations at churches and other organizations.
Below the post, listed in the comments sections, they have put the addresses and times that meals will be served. They are all free to the community.
Oakview Baptist Church in Oakland held a Thanksgiving meal on November 10 that was open to the public. The third Sunday of every month, the Kingston United Methodist Church has a community meal. They held their Thanksgiving meal on November 17.
Every Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., the Lighthouse United Methodist Church in Kingston offers a community meal. They held their Thanksgiving meal on November 20.
The Open Range Cowboy Church off Whiskey Creek Road in Madill will be offering a Thanksgiving meal on Sunday November 24 following their 11 a.m. service. The meal is open to the community.
The Kingston Assembly of God will also be offering a Thanksgiving meal on Sunday November 24. The 12 p.m. meal is open to the community, as well.
The residents who call Marshall County home bear witness to the love that has blossomed within the community and the giving spirit of God that lives in the hearts of his followers.
As the Christmas holiday approaches, many local businesses have opened their doors for individuals who want to donate to programs that help members of the community in many different ways. This provides the community the opportunity to spread blessings throughout the neighborhoods and to residents of all ages.
Watts Funeral home has The Golden Angel Adoption program for the elderly in need. Residents can choose to adopt a senior from Brookside Nursing Center of Madill and/or Family Care Center of Kingston. They have listed some of the items needed such as socks and other personal care or comfort items for the individual senior. This act ensures that everyone can receive what they are in need of and what they may like to have.
Marshall County residents can bless the people from generations who have come before them. These seniors have worked, lived, fought, loved, cried, prayed and given to others now have a community to do the same for them.
Megan at Kingston Pharmacy has partnered with The Paton Project to offerTheAngelTreeAdoption Program for children. Residents can choose to adopt an anonymous child from Marshall County who is in need.
The Information provided will have their age, shoe size, clothes sizes, any personal care items they need, a gift request and a big ticket wish item. All items will need to be wrapped and returned to the pharmacy by December the 16.
First United Bank held a food drive on behalf of HFMC that ended on Friday Nov. 15 to aid in HFMC Food Pantry. The HFMC program has a list of elderly clients and Veterans who are shut-in situations, and are not able to leave home nor do they have someone to do regular shopping on their behalf.
They receive a monthly box with a range of food items, hygiene products and other necessities. The food drive and other programs help to fill these boxes and enable HFMC to continually provide help to those on need.
HFMC currently has a table set up inside the First United Bank of Madill where residents can continue to donate funds for the month of November to help support these programs. HFMC also has toy donation boxes for children in need. The toy box donations are Dollar General located in Madill, Dollar General in Lebanon, Lakeside Family Medicine & Spa, Unrooted in Kingston and Landscape and More off Hwy 377.
Residents will have the opportunity to donate nonperishable food items to help families in need in the community.TheCMTrailers community impact team is hosting a food drive on November the 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cash Saver in Madill will also be having a food drive on December 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Both will be supporting the aid provided by HFMC Food Pantry to the community. Non-perishable food items and canned goods will be accepted at both locations.
Merry Meadows Farm will have a huge Christmas event December 14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. They will have Santa and Mrs. Claus and so many festive activities. They are located at 8842 Texoma Hills Road in Kingston. More details about this free event can be found on their FB page. They will have a HFMC donation box for unwrapped gifts for adults, children or families in need to aid in spreading the holiday spirit and making this season special for everyone.
The Enos/Cardinal Cove Volunteer Fire Department have applications on the door at the Firehouse and Community Center for children and seniors in need. The application must be filled out and placed in the drop box.
They are collecting prizes for the Christmas Raffle that provide for the kids and seniors. Donation boxes are set up in Enos at the Dollar General, Mata’s Lunchbox and Willie’s Rattling the Pans. The raffle tickets can be purchased at the Enos Fire Department, Texoma Southern Saloon, Mata’s Lunchbox, Vonnies Little Bar and Willie’s Rattling the Pans.
Another way communities raise money for the holidays is Shop with a Cop. This year, the police department teamed up with the fire department.
With ongoing help from local businesses, individual donations and community fundraisers, they have doubled the number of kids getting blessed this year with a Christmas shopping spree.
Madill Police Chief Donny Riley started this event in 2009 and it is still going and growing. He said he does it for the children.
“Seeing the joy and smiles on their faces, the excitement and laughter they share with the officer theypaired up with melts my heart,” said Riley. “We started this to unite kids with law enforcement in a positive way.”
Over the years, children and officers have gained more than money can buy with this event. Madill City Manager James Fullinghim said he loves this event.
“I always held this event near and dear to my heart,” Fulinghim said.
pleased with the community’s involvement with the event.
“The community has stepped up, leaps and bounds with their donations for the Shop with a Cop event,” Idleman said.
The chief and firefighters said they are all excited and looking forward to joining this event. They held a car wash fundraiser Saturday November 16 for the event that did not disappoint. With help from The Wash Rack in Madill, and a truly supportive community, they got a great start on the funds for the event.
On December 9, 11, and 12 the 45- 50 children chosen and the responders will meet at La Grande for dinner and then all hop into police cars and fire trucks with the lights flashing for a ride they will never forget.
On December 3 they will be having a “Dance Off” fundraiser during the first boys’ basketball home game at halftime. A member of the police department will be dressed up as Chase and a member of the fire department will be dressed up as Sparky. They will pass a bucket around during the event for the Shop with a Cop.
La Grande Restaurant has two donation buckets to donate in and a fun little twist for whoever raises more money. The winner, between police and fire, gets to choose a member of the opposing to get a pie in the face.
They have also received an anonymous donation and help from Wal-Mart to fund a giveaway of 100 hams. They have joined forces with the police to find fun, random and surprising ways to distribute the hams throughout the community.
The Fire Department and Madill Schools have formed a program choosing between 17-20 families to receive a backpack dinner. Yes, a backpack filled with preparations for a full meal will be sent home with a student to help their family during the holidays.
Santa’s Elves food baskets are provided to the less fortunate and seniors 65 and older. They will be distributed on Dec. 20 at the Methodist church in Madill.
Applications will be accepted beginningDecember1 untilDecember15.Residents can pick up the applications at Inca Head Start and the Methodist Church.
This program was started by Katy Haward in the 1980’s when she saw the need while working with DHS. This program has since been carried on by others who care for the community, benefiting 200250 families and individuals for Christmas. Madill High School hosts a food drive for the event and donations are accepted In Care of Marshall County Abstract P.O. Box 50, Madill, Okla.
All of the residents of Marshall County as a whole make up one big family and they all have come together to celebrate and to show how much they care for one another. They are especially caring during this holiday season by providing opportunities to celebrate with the people in their lives that mean the most.