Editor, Gazette-Journal:

Another Christmas has come and gone and the citizens of Mathews County have once again demonstrated that even in difficult economic times, they are still committed to helping others. We sincerely thank each individual and organization that contributed and helped the Christmas Blessing Fund not only meet, but surpass, its goal of $25,000 with a total of $26,843 in donations received as of the end of January 2013. To date, 114 households in Mathews have benefited from these monies which were used to help pay their heating expenses.

We recognize the following who gave donations in January:

Douglas A. and L. Michelle Delaney Critchell, Randolph J. and Betty Hayes, R.C. and Carolyn H. Hunt, Central United Methodist Church.

With the ever-increasing cost of maintaining a household, many families depend on other sources such as the Christmas Blessing Fund for assistance in meeting their basic financial needs. As a volunteer group, we depend entirely on the generosity of individuals’ responses to our annual fundraising campaign. More than 95 percent of the donations received are used to help people in Mathews, with the remaining used to cover basic administrative costs.

We welcome the opportunity to answer any questions you may have about our organization, and once again, express our deep appreciation to the generous people who make this yearly endeavor possible.

Robert A. May, chairman

Christmas Blessing Fund