To the Editor:

The Church and Community Program wants to thank our entire community for the many contributions to the 2016 Giving Tree program. On Dec. 16 and 17, we provided gifts of toys and clothing for 175 families (431 children) in our regular distribution and helped 5 additional families at Renewal House.

So many businesses and banks in the Town of Canton supported us, so many volunteers helped, and so many citizens took tags to get a gift or contribute funds that we can’t list them all here.

However, the local businesses and volunteers are listed on our website (www.ccpcanton.org) and we hope you will frequent these businesses. Special thanks to St. Lawrence University (and Ashlee Downing) and to SUNY Canton (and DianeMarie Collins) for the large contributions that the colleges make. NYSARC printed tags (with help from Diane Freego); Great Northern Printing assisted with this year’s Canton school hoodie project; Kinney Drugs and Rite Aid hosted boxes for toy collection; Brewer Bookstore, Toys for Tots and PJs-4-Xmas contributed to our supply of gifts. Our local Kiwanis Club gave $1,000. Once again the Canton Fire and Rescue Department provided space for our distribution, and Jim Snell and Maria Corse (at Deep Root) provided invaluable storage and sorting space. We also thank the staff at The Plaindealer for publicity.

The Girl Scouts of the Nikentsiaki Service Unit (Canton, Rensselaer Falls, Hermon, DeKalb) and the teachers at the Canton Central Schools helped provide a book for each child. We so appreciate the participation of youth, and along with the Girl Scouts that includes the boys’ basketball teams at Canton and Coach Bill Porter, who provided muscle for moving gifts and arranging tables.

Guidance counselors Kirsten Newman and Kelley Glasgow are invaluable partners on our and so many other initiatives. Another special project was over 400 beautiful hand-knitted hats provided by the knitting cooperative “Cheryl Glidden and Friends.”

We were also able to use Giving Tree as an occasion for distributing over 300 coats, half of a coat drive organized by B99.3 radio station in Potsdam.

Given the sub-zero temperatures on Dec. 16, these were warmly received! Thanks to everyone for making the 2016 Giving Tree successful!

Patricia Alden and Frances Weller Bailey

2016 co-chairs of Giving Tree program