MAAC’s red barrel drive in Medina serves 100 children, 32 senior citizens

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Diane Mazur, left, and Sherry Tuohey fill boxes at the Grove United Methodist Church for families who applied for assistance at Christmas.

MEDINA – Volunteers at the Grove United Methodist Church packed 75 boxes of food, gifts, toys and clothing, which were delivered to families on Saturday by local firefighters.

This year’s applicants were slightly higher than last year, said Sherry Tuohey, who chairs the annual MAAC-sponsored event.

Boxes this year will provide Christmas to more than 100 children and 32 senior citizens, Tuohey said.

Volunteer shoppers pack box of toys and gifts at the Grove United Methodist Church for delivery to needy families.

After firefighters collected the more than 40 red barrels from throughout the community, they were brought back to the church, where volunteers sorted the contents, according to age and gender. Tables were piled high with toys, gifts, hats, scarves and mittens. With a family’s wish list in hand, volunteers with shopping carts went down the aisles, picking out an appropriate item or items for each person on the list.

After the boxes were packed and sealed, they were stacked along a wall according to the street on which the family lives. Then, on Saturday, the firefighters loaded them in their vehicles and delivered them to the homes who had applied.

This year, donations to the MAAC red barrels will result in Christmas for 200 individuals in all.

Toys, gifts and clothing are arranged on tables by age and gender at the Grove United Methodist Church, ready for volunteers to fill Christmas wishes.

Dennis DuBoi tapes a box of Christmas gifts, ready for delivery by local firefighters.