Fern Ridge Review Article
Support a good cause or write a letter to Santa
by Michelle Ossowski
We are just days from Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other holidays that celebrate our faith and families. Many hearts overflow with love and kindness as well as the spirit of generosity for family, friends, and community members who need extra help.
You can help by donating socks or personal care items, time, or money, and the Emporium in Veneta is helping support organizations that make a difference with donations.
Give a Sock (GAS) addresses the needs of people who spend a lot of time exposed to the weather whether they are homeless or living in non-traditional housing. Clean socks are the top requested item at homeless shelters and the reality is that homeless people rarely take their shoes off.
Serena Christian, also known in Eugene as the Sock Lady, officially started the nonprofit GAS in 2019 and started collecting and donating socks and other essential items in 2014.
“Having my heart broken every day and wanting to do more is the biggest challenge of running Give a Sock. While I can't fix everyone's problems I certainly can help make them more comfortable while tackling other challenges by giving them a clean pair of socks stuffed with snacks, essential items and information on where to go for help, giving them a boost when they are struggling to get through the day,” said Christian.
There are many ways to volunteer for GAS, which delivers socks stuff with valuable essentials from a vehicle to people on the streets. Needs for the nonprofit include socks, snacks, season items related to weather, stuffing socks, writing positive quotes to include in socks, and printer paper on which to print information on contacts for meals, housing, and jobs.
“It is important to me to reach out, showing up for those in need, and it's a way of meeting people exactly where they are at, acknowledging they exist and doing what I can to help.”
Go to giveasock.org for more information about GAS and how you can help or give to giveasock@gmail.com to contact Christian.
There is a box at the Emporium for donations when you go inside, down the stairs, and walk on the right side of the wall between the wall and shirts to the corner where you will find a hamper with the GAS logo on it and a logo and more information posted on the window above the hamper.
Donations are also being accepted for people in the McKenzie Bridge and Blue River community who lost everything in the Holiday Farm Fires.
Sheri Smith has been involved with setting up a SELCO Community Credit Union fund for people to send donations for Holiday Farm Fire victims and that information is available at the front desk of the Emporium.
Local children in the community will be able to pick out items at McKenzie High School on Saturday, December 5, and Sunday, December 6, to be wrapped up for them to take home for their families for the holidays.
“We're accepting financial donations through Thursday, December 3, and we recently found out they will be taking donations of money and gifts (toys, clothes, etc.) on location at McKenzie High School,” said Annie Marie with Bella's LuvBar Butter, who set up and manages the Emporium with other artists who are a part of the unique gift shop.
“The area is really dear to my and my husband's hearts and we feel like this is a way we can give back. I know there are communities hurting everywhere; everybody needs something and this is a way we can help out through the Emporium.”
If some of your favorite people have fur, you can consider donating to cats and dogs by purchasing a pine cone ornament through Pine Cones for Pets available at the Emporium.
Maddy Wood has been making different kinds of pine cone decorations and personalizing them for pets for the last three or four years with 50 percent to 75 percent of all proceeds donated to local dog and cat rescue shelters.
Be sure to check out the pine cones hanging on the tree with personalized features you can choose from. When you take your pine cone to the checkout counter, you will fill out an order form with details, pay in advance, and leave the pine cone for a few days until called or texted when the personalization is completed and the pine cone is ready to be picked up.
The last item isn't really a donation unless you consider it a donation for your child that can add to the wonder and their imagination about Santa Claus. This is a free activity.
Stacy Moeller with Red Barn Properties LLC., is sponsoring Letters to Santa. Moeller has placed the beautiful specially marked mailbox for letters to Santa in the Emporium due to the activity limiting COVID-19 freeze. The mailbox has previously been located at Red Barn Properties LLC.
The mailbox is located across from the checkout counter and will be there until Monday, December 21, for people to mail their letters to Santa. Don't forget to write your return address on your letter or Santa will not know where to send his response to you!
“We have a direct line to the North Pole and the letters will get to him, I promise. Santa will reply to all of the little ones who have wanted to talk to him,” Annie Marie said.