Goodfellow gift is one that is appreciated

Now that Christmas is over and all the presents have been unwrapped, many people will spend the next few days exchanging some of the gifts they received.

But there are close to 20,000 youngsters in North Texas who are not about to give back their special gifts this season, not because there’s an official no-exchange policy, but because these school-age children are in need of the $50 gift cards they received from the Star-Telegram Goodfellow Fund.

For more than 100 years, their stories have tugged at th e heart: a woman who suddenly gains custody of three grandchildren; an older sibling asking for help, not for himself, but for his younger brothers and sisters; single parents who say their kids will have no Christmas without the generosity of the Goodfellows.

A century ago the Goodfellow Fund spent $1,200 to help 302 families (about 1,200 children). This year the total bill to aid children in 7,000 families is close to $1 million. And while about 19,500 youngsters already have gotten their gifts to buy shoes and clothing, the cost to pay for them all has not yet been covered.

This year, thanks to the generosity of many — from school kids to widows, corporations and local foundations — the fund has raised about $826,000, much less than last year’s record-breaking amount of $952,000, according to Richard Greene, the charity’s executive director.

But Greene points out there is still plenty of time to make contributions, as the fund’s fiscal year does not end until June. He does express hope, however, that contributors will come through soon, before the end of the year.

“Through Monday we were about 14 percent down in the number of donors compared to last year, but only a little less than 10 percent down in the amount in gifts received,” Greene said. “Of those that contributed, the average amount of the gift was much larger. That is appreciated!”

He said the decline in number of donations was partially due to a short window between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“I’m sure counting on those that were able to give in prior years,” he said, “that they won’t forget us or let ‘First of the Year’ get by without thinking of the thousands of needy school children the Goodfellow Fund serves.”

He’s still hopeful that the additional funding will come through, noting that last year the fund received close to $100,000 in donations after Christmas Day through the end of the first quarter of the year.

The Star-Telegram Editorial Board joins with Greene in urging more people to become Goodfellows in our community, to help those youngsters who depend on the fund this time of year.

Remember, this is a gift we guarantee will not be returned or exchanged, except for those needed shoes and clothing for which it is intended.

Give today.

This story was originally published December 29, 2014 at 5:34 PM with the headline "Goodfellow gift is one that is appreciated."