Christmas Outreach donates clothing to 875 families

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One local church is using Finch Fieldhouse Room 110 for something other than a pick-up game of basketball.

Christmas Outreach started as a service by the parishioners of Immanuel Lutheran Church, 320 S. Bradley St., nearly 30 years ago and is now a county-wide effort helping 875 families this year.

“It’s all part of helping those that are beautiful people and have had a hard hand in life,” said Mount Pleasant resident Esther Lounsbury, 73.

She has volunteered with the program for more than 10 years and has always been part of cleaning and taking care of boots. Some of the boots are donations from local residents and others have been purchased throughout the year by Christmas Outreach organizers.

The program is more time-intensive than a month of sorting donations or three days of helping clients pick their clothes.

Mount Pleasant resident Laura Richards has been helping almost from the onset of the project — for about 24 years.

“I started because I wanted to help my church,” Richards said.

The first few years, the program only reached out to about 200 people. This year, the program is looking to reach more than 3,000.

Changing lives

Working with Richards for about half of that time is fellow Mount Pleasant resident Donna Hackett. She is a retired Rosebush school teacher who has seen the impact volunteering has on her students.

Hackett heard an advertisement for the program one day on the way to school and got involved, even having her classes collect items for the program. Some of those students have come back to help now they are attending Central Michigan University.

Some people have done mandated community service and logged a lot of hours with the program. Hackett said one who stands out in her mind was an illegal alien from Mexico who worked with them for much of the preparation time.

“By the end of the program, you could tell it had just changed his life,” she said.

The program is still accepting donations and volunteers. Students interested in volunteering can contact Immanuel Lutheran Church at 773-4204. Donations can be dropped off at Finch Fieldhouse.

“We would love a sweatshirt and jeans from every college kid on campus,” Richards said.

Jeans and sweatshirts are the two items in highest demand, Hackett said. Christmas Outreach also is looking for coats, mittens hats, boots, books, linens and gently used toys.