Holiday donations from throughout Kimball helped 32 families place gifts under the tree this Christmas. Without donations, these families may not have had gifts. “They all get one clothing item and one toy item, but it ends up being a whole lot more than that,” said Linda Plamann, Kimball school health aid. Plamann orchestrates holiday giving through the schools. She is familiar with the families and their needs. She has been doing this for 15 to 20 years. Each year, a general letter is sent to families in the Kimball school district (living in Kimball school district is the only requirement). If parents feel it pertains to them, they return the form with their children’s ages, sizes and toy ideas. The names of the children and their families is kept confidential. “It’s growing every year because more people are hearing about it and wanting to help,” Plamann said. The families’ needs are fulfilled through a collective community effort by schools, churches and organizations. The schools had Christmas trees with paper stars which displayed needed items. Staff had the opportunity to pick a star and buy the item. Church groups had mitten trees, made quilts and sometimes adopted a whole family. This year, a 4-H group also shopped for a family. The American Legion had a mitten tree where they also collected socks, undergarments and toys. Doreen Hamilton of Watkins delivered mitten tree items from the American Legion to Plamann. “There was a lot this year because my car was full when I brought it to the school,” Hamilton said. “We just really appreciate helping when we can.” National Honor Society students took on the responsibility of collecting for Toys for Tots. “Years ago we had Jaycees in town [who did Toys for Tots] and they folded,” Plamann said. “We didn’t want to see Toys for Tots go down the drain.” Students put out boxes for toys throughout the community, shopped for toys with donated money, and wrapped them. This year, the elementary student council also wanted part of the action. Because of abundant donations toward the families, the elementary students provided personal products for senior citizens’ bingo, instead. The donated mittens, hats, clothing and toys are all wrapped, tagged and delivered to Plamann at the school. There, she has each family’s list coded for confidentiality. She sorts all of the items with the help of study hall or confirmation students who need service hours. “Sometimes it’s a lot of work and you think ‘Oh, we should stop it,’” Plamann said. “But when it’s all over it’s a worthy thing.” After everything’s sorted, the families pick up their gifts. “They just think it’s so awesome and great,” Plamann said.
