The holiday shopping season has kicked off with great gusto. With less than a month to go, there is a lot that families want to do or have to do to make the Christmas holiday extra special for their loved ones. As you think about all your activities, please consider a gift to the Santa’s Helper Fund. The money is needed by Salvation Army workers who are striving tirelessly to make sure the many needy people around us have food, clothing, and toys for the children at Christmas.

Today we received donations from Bud and Arlene Neddeau, in memory of their beagle, Buster, Carmel, $20; Wendy Downes, Bangor, $50; Sylvia and Robert Walcott, in memory of their baby grandson, Nicholas Ronald Smith, Lee, $25; and Gloria Cross, in memory of her granddaughter Kristy Gibbs, Brooks, $25.

Thank you all for your kindness and generosity in reaching out to others through the Santa’s Helper Fund. You can be assured that your gift will be sent on to The Salvation Army, which has identified those most in need in our neighborhoods and communities and will make sure they are not left out in the cold at Christmas time. They will, instead, provide food for the table, warm clothing for the cold winter that lies ahead, and a few toys for the little children who cannot possibly understand the desperation their parents are feeling.

Donations may be sent to Santa’s Helper Fund, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402-1329. Donors’ names and dollar amounts will be published in the Santa’s Helper column daily. Donors who wish to remain anonymous will be listed as such. Thank you in advance.