Lions help make Christmas merry
SANDPOINT — Paris Williams may only be 6 years old, but the young St. Louis area resident has launched her own nonprofit and is on a mission to help the homeless.
According to a story on goodnewsnetwork.org, Paris Cares Foundation was inspired by the children's book, "One Boy's Magic" by Cari Chadwick Deal.
“She was reading books at school about giving and she came home one day, and she was like, ‘I want to give back to the homeless. What can we do to help the homeless?'” her mother Alicia Marshall told KTVI Fox 2 News. “We kind of brainstormed some ideas and we came up making care packages.”
The family has delivered more than 500 care packages with food, drinks and other essential items. Her parents help get the items but it is Paris who fills each package, including a personal note or drawing on each one.
In addition, Paris has donated 250 meals to essential workers and wants to raise money to buy toys for children in need this Christmas.
Like Paris, the Sandpoint Lions band together with the community to help others — more particularly, the youngest members, to ensure a merry Christmas for all.
Generous donations are just starting to come in, with $150 so far received toward the $50,000 goal set by the Sandpoint Lions Club to help make Christmas merry for the community’s youth.
The Toys for Tots program provides free new toys for children living in the Lake Pend Oreille School District, from Sandpoint to Clark Fork and all points in-between. A Christmas dinner for the family is also provided. If you know someone, or need help yourself, the Lions are taking applications for the 2020 Toys for Tots program.
Applications are being accepted — more than 40 have been received already. The forms are available at the Lions Den, 609 S. Ella St., Sandpoint, on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays, between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; online at the Sandpoint Lions Facebook page, facebook.com/SandpointLionsClub; or at Bonner Community Food Bank, 1707 Culvers Drive, Sandpoint. The deadline to submit an application is Monday, Dec. 14.
Masks are required to enter the Lions Den building or those dropping them off may also place them into the red box next to the door.
Toys may be dropped off at the Bonner County Daily Bee, 310 Church St., Sandpoint; Farmhouse Restaurant, 477227 U.S. 95, Ponderay; Columbia Bank — Sandpoint branch, 414 Church St.; and Ponderay branch, 300 Kootenai Cutoff Road; Walmart, 476999 U.S. 95, Ponderay; and North 40, 477181 U.S. 95, Ponderay.
There are a host of coin jars around the community where spare change can be donated. In addition, monetary donations may be dropped off at both branches of Columbia Bank and the Bonner County Daily Bee during normal business hours. Donations may be mailed to the Sandpoint Lions Club, Box 414, Sandpoint, ID 83864.
Donations made by check are preferred. Be sure to include a note with your check indicating that it is a Toys for Tots donation. If you wish to make an anonymous donation, please include a note. If the donation is being made in someone’s name, be sure to also include a note.
Information: Sandpoint Lions Club, 208-263-4118
Caroline Lobsinger can be reached by email at clobsinger@bonnercountydailybee. com and follow her on Twitter @CarolDailyBee.