HOLIDAY GIFT PROJECT

Each December, BCPS partners with churches, groups, employers, and community members to provide Christmas gifts to hundreds of children with an incarcerated parent. The West Lawn United Methodist Church hosts our Care & Share Holiday Party that allows these children to visit with Santa, make crafts, eat (lots of) cookies, and receive presents. For many of them, this will be the only holiday celebration they experience and everyone goes above and beyond to make it special.

Thank you to the following that made this project possible by sponsoring children:

The West Lawn United Methodist Church, Immanuel United Church of Christ, St Paul's Lutheran Church of Douglassville, First Unitarian Universalist Church, Holy Cross UMC of Reading, St Paul's Lutheran Church of Adamstown, St John's Lutheran Church of Reading, Pitney Bowes, DoubleTree by Hilton-Reading, Citizens Bank (numerous local branches), Boscov's Angel Tree, Pottsville PA, and the MANY individual volunteers that participated in this project.

Thanks to the community's support, more than 1,000 children received presents this holiday season!

2019 Care & Share Party

Our 13th annual Care & Share Holiday party was held at West Lawn United Methodist Church on Saturday, December 7th. This special event is provided for all the families served through our Holiday Gift Project. We had 178 families attend the party that included 420 children and 305 adults!

Special thank you to Alice Moyer and the congregation of West Lawn UMC for providing this wonderful celebration for every family. BCPS would also like to thank Blankets of Hope-Berks for providing a warm blanket for everyone in attendance and the Hope Rescue Mission for kindly helping us deliver all the wrapped gifts to the church.

Many hands worked behind the scenes in preparation for the event... donating small toys for under the trees, knitting hats and scarves, building gingerbread houses, baking cookies, donating food, and creating a magical holiday atmosphere for the celebration.

Thank you to the following for your kind donations:

Blankets of Hope - Berks

Wilson School District Students (Wilson Ambassadors and Leos Club)

Boy Scout Troop #2018

Mary Lou Hutchinson

Knitters at the Highlands of Wyomissing

Little Acts of Love

United Way of Berks County's Emerging Leaders United and Enersys

40+ Cookie Bakers from West Lawn UMC

Clover Farms, Berks Packing Co, Inc, WAWA Community Care, Penn Grill, West Lawn

Many more community volunteers