HCCF partners with RAM to provide Christmas presents to Avery County children

“This year, even more than most, we have seen so many families struggling on a daily basis,” said Katherine Jones, a counselor at Newland Elementary School. “These are hard-working, deserving families who often don’t have the means for necessities, let alone toys and extras for Christmas.”

RAM has stepped in for more than 20 years to help families through Avery Project Christmas, purchasing Christmas presents for children who otherwise may not get any, said Janet Millsaps, executive director of RAM.

“It’s a really worthwhile and meaningful program,” she said. “It’s very rewarding, and we’re thankful that we can help out in this way.”

Jones said that Avery Project Christmas is her favorite part of her job.

“I look forward to Avery Project Christmas each year,” Jones said. “I am always amazed at the humbleness of the children as they create and turn in their wish lists... So many items on their lists are items that many families might be blessed enough to purchase for their child any day of the week. For these children and families, these items are special Christmas treasures.”

Reaching Avery Ministry has spent more than 40 years helping Avery County citizens. They operate a full-time, five-day-a-week food pantry, provide diapers and formula to those who need it and offer emergency financial assistance in extreme circumstances. Additionally, the nonprofit works closely with similar organizations in the area and helps the community through various projects, such as Avery Project Christmas.

Each year, RAM asks the Department of Social Services (DSS), the health department and the counselors at each school in the county to refer students with the most need to Avery Project Christmas. The school-aged children who are referred to RAM make a wishlist of around five items that they wanted, and from there they went shopping to compile all the gifts.

“The wishlists weren’t extravagant items,” Millsaps said. “They asked for things like pillows, hygiene items, coats, blankets and sometimes toys and stuff like that.”

The number of high school students that were referred to Avery Project Christmas this year doubled, and the amount of children in the program overall doubled from 2021 to 2022, Millsaps said. Once they started shopping, shoppers realized that it was going to be impossible to buy gifts for all the children in need with the budget RAM had, which is where High Country Charitable Foundation stepped in.

“How do you pick and choose which kids to help?” said Whitney Styles, executive secretary of HCCF. “When you look at what they’re asking for, and what they need, you can’t.”

HCCF has supported RAM for many years, but once the organization was made aware of the funding shortage for Avery Project Christmas this year, it found grant money to buy presents for the remaining children, Millsaps said.

“We need donors to be able to pull this off,” she said. “We’re so thankful for the High Country Charitable Foundation’s help with this.”

With how hard the economy has hit many families over the past year, RAM especially hoped to take a little burden off of families through Avery Project Christmas, Millsaps said.

“We’re so appreciative of everything RAM, the schools, counselors and other local agencies,” Styles said. “They know the different needs of people and children in the community, and we’re thankful to be able to help address those needs.”