Christmas Clearing House

An article in this morning's Northwest Herald decries the financial plight of Woodstock's Christmas Clearing House (CCH), which is worried about a decreased level of donations this year.

The CCH is a project of the Woodstock Rotary Club to make Christmas a little happier for many Woodstock families. It expects to deliver gift and food to 1,100 families this year.

Right now the Clearing House is $15,000 short of its $46,000 budget for next year's program. While next Christmas is months away (this Christmas is less than a week away), why not push them up to the goal right now?

Mail your check, payable to Christmas Clearing House, to P.O. Box 53, Woodstock, IL 60098. Every dollar counts. If 1,500 people send $10, that's it. My check is in the mail.

If you want to save the price of a stamp, drop your check off at BMO Harris Bank in Woodstock.

But do it. Think about all those cups of coffee you buy at Starbuck's, Panera Bread or Dunkin' Donuts. You could skip 3-5 of them and, bingo, there's the $10. But you won't, so mail your check today. (Put in a note that you read it here.)

And - you can come and help assemble gift packages tonight and tomorrow night and help with deliveries on Saturday. Tonight and Thursday: 6:00-8:00PM at the old Farm & Fleet building on the southwest corner of Route 47 and Highway 14, next to Woodstock Harley-Davidson. Saturday, 8:00AM to noon. Dress warmly; it's not heated.