By Gerri Miller
Elmore Autauga News
The Autauga Christmas Team has been helping needy residents provide Christmas for their families for 40 years and 2024 will be no different. Last year alone the non-profit organization brightened Christmas for more than 280 needy families.
100 percent of money and donations the organization collects goes directly to families.
The Autauga Christmas Team has no paid employees but instead relies on area residents to keep it going.
Bill Strong is one of those volunteers and the Vice President of the organization. He has worked with the program for 39 years, only missing one year when he was away at college. “My mom started the organization with a few other ladies as an outreach of the Spinners Club,” Strong said. “The group also created a clearing house for churches to go to. There wasn’t a centralized location.”
The James Hardie Plant also does a coat drive for the organization each year. Last year the company stepped up after hearing of a need and donated blankets, towels, bath sets, and other items for teens. This was on top of their previous donation of toys and jackets.
Strong said he looks forward to November 23rd, the date when the organization receives a large influx of food and it is stacked up like a grocery warehouse. Then on December 14th the families receive food boxes and presents at Mac Gray Park near the fairgrounds in Prattville.
This week will mark a big fundraiser for The Autauga Christmas Team. The Heart of Dixie Mustang Club, will feature its 17th Annual Car Show at Bass Pro Shops on Sept. 28th from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Registration for the event closes at 11 a.m. There will be drawings, door prizes, trophies, multiple awards and even a silent auction.
All proceeds from the event will go to the Autauga Christmas Team. For information on the car show, call Tamara Bixler at 334-313-2374 or message her at [email protected]
They will also be accepting toy donations at the car show.
One familiar decoration many people see at Christmas is the Angel Tree. The is a Christmas Tree with individual cards used as decorations cut out in the shape of angels. These cards contain names of area families who need help at Christmas and a lists of what their needs are. “Camelot Properties was a big help last year with our Angel Tree Program,” Kerger said.
If your business or organization would like to sponsor an Angel Tree, or donate money, food and presents, please call 334-717-1585.
For those families interested in applying for Christmas help, there are some important deadlines coming up. Applications will be accepted on Oct. 3, 8, 14 and 23 and Nov. 1 at Pratt Park Pavilion on Doster Road in Prattville from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Applicants must bring a Social Security card for every member of the household, proof of income, food stamp verification, current receipts (rent, lights, water, phone), a complete address and phone number, and other medical information.
“Please bring all of the requested documents or otherwise we will not be able to complete the application,” Kerger said.
There are lots of families to help and the holidays are coming up fast. But Strong isn’t worried about any of that. “I can say in the 39 years I have been involved with this program, every single person eligible has been helped,” he said.
For more information on The Autauga Christmas Team visit their Facebook or call them at 334-717-1585.
