For the children

There are two Christmas trees at Town Crier Bookstore at 716 Commercial. On this tree, you can pluck from it a piece of paper with the gender and age of a child who would dearly love to have a gift.

These are children who are having a tough time. They are CASA children, children who have a Court Appointed Special Advocate – in other words, children who have someone to stand up for them in court. They are children who have been removed from their homes due to parental abuse and/or neglect.

Some of the kids may be part of the CVEC, the Child Visitation Exchange Center, which is part of the local SOS system, which, again, means domestic violence is an issue in their homes.

These kids need someone to care about them.

And that’s how you can help.

You can select a tag off the tree, for example, this 11-year-old girl, and buy her a gift. You might choose a book or game, and your gift will be wrapped and given to the child.

This is an easy way to show kindness to a child who is stuck in a miserable situation. It always helps so much just to know somebody cares, and you can be a person who gives hope to a child on Christmas Day.

The puzzle table.

And there’s a second tree at Town Crier, a mitten tree. If you are so inclined, you can donate gloves, scarves, and hats to kids whose families don’t have the resources to purchase them. Above, Town Crier’s Becky Smith adds several dozen hats to the tree. A woman in town knitted them for the kids in various colors and sizes.