MERCER COUNTY —
Don't give 'til it hurts; give 'til it feels good! That's been the slogan for The Herald's Good News Fund for the last two decades when it comes to raising money to help needy people in the Mercer County area during the Christmas holiday.
And for the last 20 years since the Good News Fund was born, generous individuals and businesses have stepped up to aid families who might not have enough money to put food on the table, let alone have presents for their children.
Each year the fund provides turkeys and other goodies for families. But the goal of helping 1,200 families this year is in jeopardy without more support. Thus far a total of $4,510 has been raised. And while there is a long while to go, normally it is higher at this time of year.
The unfortunate thing is that in poor economic times like these, there are even more people who need the help and even fewer people who can afford to provide it. So the appeal for help is even more important.
The Good News Fund is even more crucial in 2012 because state and federal funding to many local charities has been cut drastically, including the Community Food Warehouse of Mercer County.
The Good News Fund, affiliated with the Community Foundation of Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, is even more valuable than ever this season.
It was created by The Herald to benefit the entire Mercer County and has helped multitudes of families during the last two decades.
Because the foundation is tax-exempt, all donations are tax-deductible. The donations help purchase turkeys to be provided to local families through the Community Food Warehouse of the Shenango Valley and its network of 16 pantries.
In its first 19 years, The Good News Fund generated more than $225,000, every penny of which has funded turkeys and other food for the needy. The turkeys usually weigh between 12 and 14 pounds each. But the price of poultry is high this season and even more money is required to meet the needs of so many.
As the fund appeal moves through the holiday season, donors are being listed in The Herald as our way of saying "thanks" on behalf of the anonymous families who are so grateful for the contributions.
The fund offers readers the option of making a donation in the name of a friend or family member as a holiday gift idea and have those names listed as well. And what better way is there to honor someone who has passed away than to help others in their name?
Residents wanting to make a tax-free contribution should make their checks payable to The Good News Fund and mail them to Nancy Ash in care of The Herald, Box 51, Sharon 16146.
Contributions may be dropped off at the Allied News office on Erie Street in Grove City or at The Herald office, 52 S. Dock St., in Sharon.
Remember, no donation is too small. But the good feeling that comes from helping others is always big.
Published Nov. 14, 2012, in Allied News. Pick up a copy at 201A Erie St., Grove City.
Opinion
Don't give 'til it hurts; give 'til it feels good
- Opinion
-
-
Medicare: Did you really pay for that?
Last summer, Barack Obama riled a lot of entrepreneurs when he got carried away at a campaign event and told any American who had built up a successful enterprise, "you didn't build that."
-
Pa. taxes pocketbooks of working class unfairly
We often hear about how Pennsylvania's tax laws are a burden for existing businesses and a red flag for those considering setting up shop in the Keystone state.
-
Teen's shooting death could have been prevented
"There are two great days in every person's life, the day they were born - and the day they realized why."
- Rick Warren, "The Purpose-Driven Life" -
Congress should pass sweeping gun legislation
All of the aspects of President Obama's $500 million gun legislation plan could be effective in decreasing the incidence of mass shootings in the United States.
-
Let's be clear when we say 'Get guns off the streets'
Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan rightly said, "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts."
-
Lighten up: Be free to be healthier this year
So how is that New Year's resolution diet going?
-
After 2012 we can only hope for happier year
Our mothers taught us you only get one chance to make a first impression, but when it comes to the impression an old year leaves, 2012 may be remembered for its last.
-
Recalling Robert Bork's visit to GC College
On a dark February afternoon in 1988, 25 students in a U.S. Constitutional History class waited expectantly in a little-used dining hall on the campus of Grove City College (in Grove City, Pennsylvania) for a special guest lecturer to arrive.
-
The holidays can be special, and stressful
The holidays can be a special time, as well as a stressful time.
-
What Obama should do about gun violence
The desolation one feels over the slaughter of innocents in Connecticut is compounded by the knowledge that under current circumstances it inevitably will happen again -- that when the shock fades, the political climate will allow it to be repeated.
- More Opinion Headlines
-
Medicare: Did you really pay for that?
Johnson: Don't Blame Islam or UK Policy
Raw: 80-Year-Old Climbs Mount Everest
Wash. State Man Arrested Following Ricin Scare
Chain-Reaction School Bus Crash Injures About 50
Raw: Scuffles in London After Hacking Death
Texas Students Coach Teachers on Fitness
New Forecasting Tool Eyed for Hurricane Season
Meet MJ, the Bike Riding Tabby Cat
Britain Attack Believed Linked to Radical Islam
Raw: Kevin Durant Tours Moore After $1M Pledge
Man Shot While Questioned in Boston Probe
Weiner Launches Bid to Become NYC Mayor
Okla. Teens Get Video of Deadly Tornado Overhead
School Storm Protection Spotty in Tornado Zones
9-year-old Tornado Victim Loved Family, Singing
Moore Native Toby Keith Tours Tornado Damage
Oklahoma Survivors, Heroes Survey Damage
Raw: Aftermath of Deadly Attack in London
Paperless Scanner, Vision of the Future
