The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Volunteers in the greater Sisters area are once again celebrating the holiday season with several activities this month — including the holiday lights display, Spirit of Christmas gift drive and community Christmas dinner.

The Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire & Ambulance Association is sponsoring the annual “Spirit of Christmas Giving Tree” to provide Christmas gifts to families in need in Sisters Country this holiday season. We expect to serve close to 200 children this year.

Gifts are available to children age newborn to seniors in high school of low-income families who live within the Sisters or Black Butte School Districts. Applications for the program are available to be picked up now at the following locations: Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District, Kiwanis Club, and the Family Access Network (FAN) office in Sisters. Applications are due by Friday, December 3 at 5 p.m. in order to receive a gift. Please get your applications in early so your request can be filled.

To donate to the Spirit of Christmas Program, please collect a tag with items requested by the families at one of our “Spirit of Christmas Giving Trees,” purchase a new gift listed on the tag, deliver the unwrapped gifts with the tag to the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District as soon as possible and by no later than noon on Monday, December 13. Spirit of Christmas trees are located at Sisters Ray’s Food Place, Sisters Bi-Mart, Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire Station, Black Butte Ranch Post Office and Black Butte Ranch Police Department. Tags are available to collect from all locations in Sisters from Friday, November 19 and from Black Butte Ranch beginning Wednesday, November 24.

Sarah Bialous, program leader for the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District, said, “while monetary donations are appreciated, the best way to help is to pick a gift tag for a child from one of the trees and purchase specific gifts requested by the families, rather than just donating a non-specific gift.”

Gift requests that are not filled by the Monday, December 13 deadline will be filled by Fire District volunteer shoppers using donated funds, which means that no qualifying child will be left without a gift.

For those folks that would like to participate in the program, but are unable to purchase a specific gift, we will also accept cash donations. Cash donations are tax deductible and will go toward gift buying. Cash donations can be made at the main fire station at 301 S. Elm St. in Sisters, by mail at PO Box 1509, Sisters, OR, 97759, or on their website, http://www.sistersfire.com.

Families will receive their donated gifts via a drive-through pickup event on Saturday, December 18 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

If you haven’t seen the Christmas lights display at the main fire station at 301 S. Elm St. in Sisters, be sure to drive by and stop and listen. The light display is accompanied by music each evening from parade day until after Christmas.

On Christmas Day, The Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District and the Sisters-Camp Sherman Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Association will once again prepare a traditional Christmas dinner and hold a drive-through meal pickup on Christmas day from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District Station 701 at 301 S. Elm St. in downtown Sisters. To request a meal, please call 541-549-0771.

The District thanked its partnering agencies and community organizations for their support and assistance with making this holiday season special for Sisters Country families: Sisters Kiwanis, Furry Friends, Black Butte Ranch Police, Toys for Tots, Aspen Lakes Estates Owner’s Association, Ray’s Food Place, and Sisters Bi-Mart.

For more information, contact the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District at 541-549-0771.