Third in a series

For most of its existence, the Salisbury Post’s Christmas Happiness Fund was distributed by the Rowan County Department of Social Services. So that’s where people went to apply for the modest vouchers families could receive to buy their children gifts  — to Social Services.

This year families will apply through the Rowan County Christmas Bureau, and sign-up starts in just 10 days on Friday, Nov. 7, at the J.F. Hurley YMCA.

It’s actually the second year that five Christmas programs — Christmas Happiness, the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree, Toys for Tots, Project Santa and Operation Santa — have joined together for the application process. That way they simplify the process for families, make the most of the programs’ resources and avoid duplication.

In terms of the number of children reached, Christmas Happiness is the largest of the programs, distributing $30 vouchers for 1,326 children last year, as well as food for their families. The Angel Tree served 971 families.

To some people, $30 may not seem like much to buy holiday gifts for a child. But it’s enough to help a young boy or girl share in the joy of Christmas, despite whatever hardships the family may be going through.

That was the idea behind Christmas Happiness when Spencer Murphy, then editor of the Salisbury Post, started the fund in 1952 at the prompting of  county welfare Director Lucille Donnelly. Donnelly said hundreds of local children would have nothing on Christmas morning.  Murphy asked readers to contribute to the new fund to help those children, and Post readers have generously done so ever since.

From 1952 through 2012, employees of the Department of Social Services helped carry out the program Donnelly and Murphy launched. The employees screened the applications and sent or gave out the vouchers. They even helped on a volunteer basis, going to the office on Saturdays and working with volunteers. But handling Christmas Happiness became impractical for the agency in recent years.

The Post had to make a decision — what to do about Christmas Happiness? Post employees had no problem collecting the money and listing the donors in the paper. But they did not feel qualified for the sensitive and crucial role played by Lucille Donnelly and generations of Social Services employees who came after her. Who would do that?

The Rowan County Salvation Army stepped up. The  Army, a United Way agency, was already taking applications for Angel Tree gifts for children and accepting and distributing the gifts. Josh Morse, then commander of the local Army, said taking on Christmas Happiness was a reasonable fit, especially since it involved distributing vouchers rather than handling more toys.

The Rowan County United Way made it work by pulling these and other local Christmas programs together for a revived Christmas Bureau — more a process than an entity. The bureau has no staff and no physical address. It’s an alliance, with the participating groups dovetailing their application process. Volunteers take the applications and the United Way coordinates.

Applications for Christmas Happiness and the other programs were down last year, due in part to the improving economy. But it was feared some children went without Christmas because their parents did not know where to apply.

So this week the Christmas Bureau is spreading the word about the when and where of the upcoming application sessions, all to be held at the J.F. Hurley YMCA, 828 Jake Alexander Boulevard W.:

• Friday, Nov. 7 — 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

• Saturday, Nov. 8 — 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m.

• Saturday, Dec. 6 — 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

The Post will kick off this year’s Christmas Happiness on Sunday, Nov. 16.

Distribution day for Christmas Happiness, the Salvation Army and Toys for Tots will be Dec. 18 at the warehouse at the old Winn-Dixie building — now Life Church — on Jake Alexander Boulevard. Qualifying families will receive appointment cards with more details.

Now is also the time for lining up volunteers to handle Christmas Bureau applications. If you would like to volunteer, call the United Way at 704-633-1802.

Though the Department of Social Services is no longer an official partner in Christmas Happiness, some DSS employees were volunteers with the Christmas Bureau last year.

You see, the caring doesn’t stop when the agency doors close.

Need help at Christmas?

The Rowan County Christmas Bureau will accept applications for several programs on the dates below, at J.F. Hurley YMCA, 828 Jake Alexander Boulevard W.:

• Friday, Nov. 7 — 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

• Saturday, Nov. 8 — 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m.

• Saturday, Dec. 6 — 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

People applying for help through the Christmas Bureau should bring:

• ID/Driver’s License

• W-7 for each member of household

• If ID is expired, need lease & utility bill

• Medicaid card

• Birth certificates for children 12 & under

• Proof of all income and expenses

• Unemployment

• Custody papers, if guardian