Our Gallery: Community Partners Helping Families in Need

We want to thank all of our faithful and generous Sponsors, Volunteers, and Donors for helping to make the Christmas Bureau a success year after year. We are grateful to the following Community Partners who go above and beyond –

• The Monroe Kiwanis Club for organizing food drives throughout the elementary schools and a few middle schools in Union County so that we can provide a food box to each family we serve
• JLL Property for allowing the Christmas Bureau to use the former Sears space at Monroe Crossing Mall
• McGee Brothers for assisting in moving the trailers that we use to store gifts and helping in many other ways
• Spivey Insurance for their annual golf tournament to benefit the Christmas Bureau that has raised tens of thousands of dollars over the past six years
• Tyson Foods, Prestige Farms, Walmart Foundation, Shop with a Cop, and Marine Corps Toys for Tots for all the donated food and gifts for the families we serve
• Union County Community Foundation for awarding HOPE thousands of dollars in grant money over the past several years which we have used to purchase gifts including bicycles and tablets
• Atrium Health in Monroe (formerly Carolinas Healthcare System) for organizing the donation of thousands of bicycles and helmets over the years.
• We are grateful to many others such as school groups, sports teams and families who give of their time and hearts in so many ways. Last year, Callie Cox, a 4th grader at Sandy Ridge Elementary School, had a special request for her 10th birthday party. She asked her friends to bring donations for the Toys for Tots barrel instead of giving her presents. All of these toys went directly to the families served by the Christmas Bureau.
• Two rival swim teams join forces to help those in need!  For the fourth straight year, the Marvin Ridge and Weddington swim teams got together one night in December to assemble stockings full of gifts for the Christmas Bureau.  Coaches Melissa King-Pierce (Marvin Ridge) and Craig Fisher (Weddington) started the tradition eight years ago at Marvin Ridge and then expanded it to include Weddington when some families from the Marvin Ridge team, including the Fishers, were re-districted.  About 50 swimmers brought a variety of small gifts and stuffed 173 stockings this year with items such as books, pens, toys, candy and toiletries.   These two teams compete against each other each year in the Union County swim meet, but for one night they blend green and orange to help the community.