The program was the brainchild of firefighter Jerry Whited, who approached the Dolores Rotary Club with the idea of giving \u201csome Christmas joy to town and to show Dolores students what it means to volunteer their time during the holidays,\u201d Susan Lisak of the Rotary Club said Sunday in a news release.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s important that we come together as a community to show our youth that we can put differences aside and work together on a project that makes a difference and gives them pride to be a part of something greater than themselves,\u201d said Whited, a Ute Mountain Ute Tribe firefighter and Dolores resident. \u201cWith my son\u2019s tragic accident last year, my family was shown what it\u2019s like to be supported by our community, and I wanted to find ways to give back.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Rotary Club received more than $1,000 in food donations from Walmart, Safeway, City Market and the Dolores Food Market, Lisak said, adding that the Ponderosa Restaurant helped with storage.<\/p>\n
Christmas basket recipients received a ham, stuffing, potatoes, corn, cookies, snacks, and the fixings to make a green bean casserole.<\/p>\n
Names were submitted by residents, and on Dec. 22, Whited coordinated with the Dolores high school football team to assemble and deliver each basket to the families with a Christmas card signed by all the volunteers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was such an important and successful collaboration of local businesses, community members and students, and we appreciate the time, energy and donations given to this project,\u201d Lisak said. \u201cWe hope to continue this service well into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n