The Marshall County FRN is organizing a Christmas Gift Distribution for teens in Marshall County through a sponsorship with Chevron. This project is supported by the Carolyn Dalzell Closet of Hope, an FRN initiative that seeks to provide needed resources to families and children in our local communities. Holiday gift distributions typically serve younger children, and while the FRN recognizes the importance of these distributions, the FRN feels that distributions for older children are also beneficial and needed.  A distribution that is targeted towards older children ensures that they will also receive a gift, without placing the strain of purchasing gifts on families who have both older and younger children.

The FRN will assemble 150 gift bags valued at $75 each for the teens containing personal care, clothing items, and gift cards. Items for the distribution are collected in a number of ways, and the FRN relies on the support of community partners and members in filling the gift bags with quality items. Last year, the FRN received monetary and product donations from many individuals, groups, and organizations, and truly appreciates the generosity and support of the community, which helped to make the distribution a success.

This year, the FRN is including the provision of food bags for every recipient in addition to the gift bags through a generous sponsorship from Noble Energy. Food insecurity is an ongoing issue within Marshall County. Many families are in need of additional supports for food assistance and several organizations in the local area already provide these services. However, even with these existing services, families and children may still struggle to meet daily nutrition needs. The FRN hopes that providing food bags to students over the winter break will help to address the issue.