Published on: Thursday, December 27, 2012

By Daryl Buchanan

MONTGOMERY COUNTY- The Holiday Giving Project of Montgomery County proved to be another success this year for both Thanksgiving and Christmas through generous donations made countywide.

Lynn Arndt, Director of Development & Volunteer Services, at Community Ministries of Rockville (CMR) participated again this year and covered zip codes immediately outside of Rockville.

Arndt says there were about 11,000 families in need across the county, which marks an increase from last year. CMR was able to provide food and toys for 260 families and also picked up an additional 48 families from the Silver Spring area.

“We were very fortunate to have our bases covered this year. But it really says a lot about our donors and the people of Montgomery County that we were able to provide for 48 more families. For residents and donors to step up at the last minute and help us provide for those families was so wonderful,” said Arndt.

The program this year was not without its challenges. Arndt says there are often plenty of toys donated for young children, but kids 10 years older and up can be difficult. The program found answers in the form of gift cards donated given to the families, which proved to be perfect gifts for older kids. “The gift cards we received to places like Target really added up and went a long way,” said Arndt.

Arndt says there are still donors needed next year for under represented areas in eastern parts of the county like Silver Spring, Aspen Hill, and Wheaton for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“I am convinced that if we can raise awareness and get the word out to as many people as possible people will always step up. Children are precious to everyone and I think everyone likes to know that children are taken care of. This is especially true during the holidays,” said Arndt.

“This is a wonderful program because people always are so generous. I think it’s natural that people want to share their good fortune and do some good to help others in need.”