HOLIDAY SEASON IS A TRADITIONAL TIME OF HELPING THE NEEDY

Once the Thanksgiving Day dinner has settled, the holiday routine settles in: Making lists, shopping, going to parties, decorating, baking, wrapping.

It also is the traditional time of year for doing something special for the needy. There are a number of programs that connect generous donors with those who need help, including Christmas for the Elderly, Toy Box and the Salvation Army's Tree of Lights.

Christmas for the Elderly, which is in its 12th year, is sponsored by the Cape Girardeau Public Health Center and the Southeast Missouri. Its aim is to provide gifts and necessities for older residents of the community. These include cash, cab coupons, paper products and grocery gift certificates. The giving continues throughout the year in an effort to reach elderly folks who need help.

Donations to Christmas for the Elderly may be mailed to P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63702-0699. Gift items also may be delivered to the Southeast Missourian office at 301 Broadway.

Toy Box has been providing gifts and Christmas cheer to youngsters for 22 years. This project is jointly sponsored by the Southeast Missourian and the Cape Girardeau Jaycees. Applications for children through age 12 may be turned in to the Salvation Army, 701 Good Hope, until Dec. 6. Toy Box gifts will be delivered Dec. 19.

Contributions for Toy Box may be mailed to P.O. Box 4, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63702-0004. And gifts for this special project also may be delivered to the Southeast Missourian office.

In addition, the Salvation Army, which provides help throughout the year to needy families and individuals, is again raising funds during the holiday season to support these activities. The Tree of Lights at West Park Mall has a goal of $160,000 this year, up $10,000 from the amount collected this year.

Until a couple of years ago, contributions to the Tree of Lights campaign were noted by turning on another light. Nowadays all the lights are turned on at the start of the drive, reflecting confidence that a generous community will respond to the never-ending need for charitable assistance.

Please help with these efforts to make the holidays and the rest of the year a bit more bearable for those among us who truly need and deserve help. The time-honored tradition of neighbors helping each other is a good one that is reflected in Christmas for the Elderly, Toy Box and the Salvation Army's Tree of Lights.