Not all of Santa’s helpers live at the North Pole.

Right here in Thomasville, Cooperative Community Ministry is helping to bring Christmas cheer to local families in need. As a part of CCM’s “Adopt a Child for Christmas” program, participants help buy clothes, toys and books for children up to 18 years old who are not employed.

Executive Director Aurelia Sink said that CCM works with other agencies to make sure that they are not duplicating services.

“We took applications in October and November, and now different groups, churches and individuals are ‘adopting’ children now,” Sink said. “They will be bringing the gifts back in here from Dec. 14 through Dec. 17. Then, volunteers and staff here will call families and tell them that their Christmas is here, and they can come and pick it up.”

Donations to the Thomasville Times and Thomasville Parks and Recreation Community Food Challenge will help CCM continue its programs. Other recipients of this year’s food drive include Fairgrove Family Resource Center, His Laboring Few Ministries and Citadel of Faith Christian Fellowship.

Cooperative Community Ministry assisted between 400 and 500 people last year with food and toys. Sink said that the need was great last year, and it is even bigger this year. The application period was closed in November, but she still gets calls from people needing help. She tells them to check back with her, and if extra toys come in, they could get assistance.

Sink said that the families who do receive help are very appreciative.

“A lady told me this morning that she could not provide Christmas for her children this year had it not been for agencies like ours and others helping with it,” Sink said.

People still can “adopt” children as part of the program, or they can simply make donations of food, money or gift items to the organization, which will go to help people in need.

Another way to get involved with CCM is to volunteer. Barbara Price volunteers every Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, organizing files and giving food to families in need. She said she has been involved with them for about a year.

“When I retired from my regular job, I came up here, because I decided I needed to do something to help people,” Price said.

She knew just the organization she wanted to help. Price was an administrative assistant at First Methodist Church in Thomasville for 20 years, and during the last 10 or 15 of those years, she helped work to raise funds and collect food for CCM.

“I think it’s wonderful,” Price said. “People come in here that don’t have anything. Some of them have a little, but need some more to get them through the week... We get a lot of ‘thank you’s from them. People are really in need this year.”

CCM also runs a soup kitchen at 6 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday, along with other nights when possible, serving about 60 people each evening. Volunteers both donate and serve the food.

For more information about CCM or the “Adopt a Child for Christmas” program, call 476-1842.

Staff Writer Karissa Minn can be reached at 888-3576 or newsdesk@tvilletimes.com.