The coronavirus pandemic is changing how the Hopkinsville Fire Department plans to help local families at Christmastime, but it hasn’t diminished the spirit to give.
This year, rather than collecting gifts outside the Wal-Mart Supercenter, firefighters are asking local businesses and residents to adopt families by claiming a spot on the Christmas for Kids virtual angel tree.
Fifty families, chosen by the Hopkinsville Salvation Army, will receive gifts.
“This is one of our very favorite annual events — one that I know touches the hearts of men and women on our staff,” Fire Chief Steve Futrell said in a news release. “The community has been so generous in the past, so we hope they’ll continue their tradition of kindness and big-heartedness through this slightly revised version of our Christmas for Kids initiative. There is no better feeling than putting a smile on a child’s face during the holidays.”
Donors will receive the first name, age, gender and clothing sizes of each child in their adopted family, along with gift requests and wishes, a city representative said in the release.
Anyone wanting to adopt a family should call Chad Sivills at 270-890-1450 or email him at csivills@hopkinsvilleky.us. Sivills is the fire department’s chief inspector/fire marshal, and he’s coordinating the 24th annual Christmas for Kids.
“We will ensure that any item or funds generously given to this program will be put directly into the hands of a child in need,” Sivills said.
The deadline to sign up as a donor is Dec. 14.
(Jennifer P. Brown is the editor and co-founder of Hoptown Chronicle. Reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org.)
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
