Christmas Across South Lake was created to help make Christmas a little brighter this holiday season for children in the South Lake community – and it is doing just that! Several groups including nonprofits, civic clubs, service groups, schools, and police departments are working together with a goal of providing new toys and gifts for 1,000 children in Clermont, Minneola, Montverde, Groveland and Mascotte. Volunteers have distributed 150 toy collection boxes and several Angel Trees tags to numerous businesses all over the area.
“We knew Christmas was going to be tough for our community this year,” said Kalena Meyers, group organizer. “Because we could not do our normal give-back events this year, we felt it was best to get all the agencies together and created this large collaborative effort.”
“To date, we have more than 600 children registered,” says Renee Lowe, group coordinator. “Families who need assistance are encouraged to register online as soon as possible. We will be closing our application process on December 1st but if the need is still there and we have the resources available at that time, we will continue to help as many children as we can.”
The group has made an Amazon wish list available on their website making it easy for donors to order toys right off the list from the comfort of their home. The toys are then delivered to a secure location, sorted by volunteers, packaged, and will be delivered to future distribution events.
“The support from our entire community has been amazing and everyone is working together for the good of giving back and helping these children and families during these tough times,” Lowe says. Local businesses are encouraging their customers to drop off toys in their collection boxes and offering customers free or discounted items for their donation. Cash donations are needed and can be made online or accepted at Seacoast Bank in Clermont.
“Our business community has really stepped up and we want to thank and recognize our amazing sponsors,” says Lowe. These sponsors include the following:
- Santa Sponsor: Elks Lodge #1848, Winn Dixie, Roe Family Chiropractic, Cagan Crossings, Montverde Academy, Hunt Industrial Park, Seacoast Bank, and an Anonymous Donor
- Claus: Kiwanis Club of South Lake, Kiwanis Club of Clermont, Shirt Shack, Easy Events Group, Lake Catherine Blueberry Farm and Home Depot
- Reindeer Sponsors: Beta Theta Sisters and Scates Realty
- Sleigh Sponsor: Four Corners Insurance and the Original Twistee Treat of Clermont
- In-Kind Donors: Lowe’s, South Lake Quick Print, Chick-fil-a, Sonny’s BBQ and Sky Zone
Please visit Christmas Across South Lake for information on making a donation, sponsorship opportunities, registering for assistance, a list of toy drop-off locations, Amazon toy wish list, and upcoming events.
