As the holidays wrap up and a fresh new year is laid out before us, it’s a good time to reflect on our hopes for the weeks and months ahead. Christmas brings on a spirit of giving in Lower Bucks that touches many lives, but the everyday struggles of our neighbors in need extend well … Continue reading "Give A Christmas 2021: How you can help beyond the holiday season" ...

With Christmas just days away, it’s easy to get caught up in the stress of checking holiday tasks off your endless to-do list. But in the spirit of the season, let’s remember Christmas is a time for giving, a chance to think of those around us who may need a little extra help after a … Continue reading "Give A Christmas 2021: There’s still time to help Bucks County children" ...

I had the good fortune Wednesday to attend the Bucks County Community College’s holiday gathering. I say good fortune because we actually could get together and actually, physically see good people I hadn’t seen anywhere but a Zoom call in about two years. We all were there to support the good work done at BCCC … Continue reading "Give A Christmas 2021: Donating is good for the soul and for Bucks County" ...

Sheldon and Bonnie Post have come across many children over the years whose families have struggled to make it through the holidays. As retired teachers, it’s a reality that has stuck with the Levittown couple and encouraged them to send a check in to the Give A Christmas fund every year. “I think it probably … Continue reading "Give A Christmas 2021: Every donation adds up to help local families" ...

There is a special magic brought on only by the holiday season. It’s a feeling tenderly preserved and passed down each year from parents and grandparents to their children and grandchildren. It comes in many forms — the smell of cookies baking in the oven, the warmth of a home strung with lights, or the … Continue reading "Give A Christmas 2021: Giving children the Christmas they deserve" ...

Bucks County has heart. In the face of runaway inflation, natural disasters, and the continued public health and economic fallout of COVID-19, Bucks County residents have, on the whole, continued providing ample support to area nonprofits. While every organization’s experience is different and some have been better supported than others, that’s the general positive word … Continue reading "Give A Christmas 2021: Bucks County has been generous to local nonprofits. The help is needed now more than ever" ...

A social worker recently visited the home of a single mom and her four kids. Despite the efforts of the mom, who worked full time to keep a roof over their heads, she could barely afford to furnish the place. She shared a bed with her 3-year-old. Her oldest, a teenager, slept on a bed … Continue reading "Give A Christmas 2021: Bucks County nonprofits are seeing increased needs in community. You can help" ...

The holiday season is upon us, and with that the Levittown-Bristol Kiwanis Club is focused on its annual Give A Christmas fund. With more than $4.7 million raised throughout its 63 years, the program has grown into the biggest campaign run by the local Kiwanis chapter, in partnership with the Bucks County Courier Times. But … Continue reading "Give A Christmas 2021: Get to know the Levittown-Bristol Kiwanis Club" ...

Severe floods, multiple tornadoes, and a persevering pandemic. 2021 has tested the strength and resilience of Bucks County residents with many, seemingly ruthless, blows. And yet, one thing remains intact through it all — the manner in which neighbors continue to look out for and lift one another up, despite one unforgiving hardship after another. … Continue reading "Give A Christmas 2021: Kiwanis, Bucks County Courier Times kick off campaign" ...

The start of any new year, but especially this one, carries an indelible sense of optimism because it is the start of new possibilities. This year promises to have more possibilities than ever for the Levittown-Bristol Kiwanis Club after its annual Give A Christmas fundraising drive generated more than $160,000 — and still counting — … Continue reading "2020 Give A Christmas breaks record as campaign enters final weeks" ...

Dear Readers, you really know how to Give A Christmas. Thank you. On this Christmas Day, we want to celebrate your generosity, your kindness and your heartfelt donations that come at a time when so many people are in need like they've never been before. This is the 63rd year of Give A Christmas for … Continue reading "2020 Fitzgerald: Readers go above and beyond with Give A Christmas generosity" ...

Thanksgiving 2020 was supposed to be like every other year for the Bucks County Roadrunners. The local running group had just come off the 30th anniversary of its Customers Bank Thanksgiving Five Miler, attracting the most racers ever and raising more than $15,000 for three local charities. This year was promising to be even bigger, … Continue reading "2020 Bucks County stepping up for Give A Christmas" ...

It has not been an easy year for Stephen Albanese and his wife, Eileen, but they still count themselves among the more fortunate families weathering the pandemic storm. That’s why he felt more compelled than ever before to make their annual contribution to Give A Christmas. The Langhorne resident hopes it's an example others who … Continue reading "2020: Giving spirit spreads in Bucks County" ...

A pandemic holiday has undoubtedly put a damper on this year’s traditions. The CDC has urged families to limit the number of people coming to dinner and avoid direct contact. Retail sales have been projected by Deloitte to grow between 1 percent and 1.5 percent, or $1.147 trillion to $1.152 trillion. Last year, holiday retail … Continue reading "2020: Pandemic troubles inspiring generosity ahead of Giving Tuesday" ...

A family that needs oil to heat their home for the month, a single mom facing unemployment, grandparents taking in their grandchildren who don’t have enough clothes. These are just some of the stories that reach the 22 volunteers of the Levittown Bristol Kiwanis Club. Stories that the club members try to find at most … Continue reading "2020: Give A Christmas is neighbors helping neighbors" ...

If they had not been volunteering at the ERA Food Pantry on Woodbourne Road, members of the Levittown-Bristol Kiwanis Club would not have met a 74-year-old woman who had been sleeping for days in her car with her dog. They helped her get in touch with the county’s emergency housing services, which temporarily sheltered the … Continue reading "2020 COVID can’t stop Bucks nonprofits, volunteers from providing help" ...

Movie theaters, March Madness, even the Olympics have all been closed, canceled or delayed because of the coronavirus. But not even a global pandemic can erase the giving spirit that manifests each holiday season. It’s that spirit the Levittown-Bristol Kiwanis Club plans to tap into as it partners with the Bucks County Courier Times to … Continue reading "2020 Kiwanis, Bucks County Courier Times launch Give A Christmas campaign" ...

You can help your neighbors by supporting Give A Christmas, the charitable holiday drive run by the Bucks County Courier Times and the Levittown-Bristol Kiwanis. All donations go to local families in need. Income has gone up and poverty rates have gone down in Bucks County, but those numbers have not erased the ongoing need … Continue reading "2019 As holidays loom, need in Bucks is great" ...

Giving Tuesday is an opportunity to support your neighbors in need. Right now in Bucks County, there’s a single mother who can’t afford to keep the lights on. There’s a homeless veteran shivering in the cold, in need of shelter and a leg up to start anew. There’s a woman struggling to find the strength … Continue reading "2019 Give A Christmas: Give back locally on Giving Tuesday" ...

Spare time comes at a premium for any working parent bogged down with responsibilities inside and outside the home. With her daughters grown and moving out of the house, Croydon resident Jill Saul used a careful eye to decide where she wanted to spend her extra minutes and hours. The search quickly ended, however, when … Continue reading "2019 Give A Christmas: Kiwanis keeps it all about the kids" ...

It may amount to a tank of gas for some, or a fast food run for others. For thousands of needy kids and their families, though, $25 could amount to a truly happy holiday season. That’s a truth Mary Berman has learned the last six years she has been involved with the annual Give A … Continue reading "2019 Give A Christmas returns for 62nd year of holiday cheer" ...

Give A Christmas program starts Sunday, Nov. 17. Our previous owners, the Calkins family, picked up the initiative 62 years ago at the Bucks County Courier Times, combining with the Levittown-Bristol Kiwanis Club, which initiated the program. The Calkins family then brought it to the Burlington County Times 52 years ago and to The Intelligencer … Continue reading "2019 Fitzgerald: Give A Christmas returns for its 62nd year" ...

Since mid-November, more than 900 people, families, organizations, community groups and businesses have opened their hearts and wallets to assist their neighbors in Lower Bucks County. Since mid-November, more than 900 people, families, organizations, community groups and businesses have opened their hearts and wallets to assist their neighbors in Lower Bucks County. That generosity to … Continue reading "2018 Give A Christmas: A tremendous outpouring of giving" ...

Just days before Christmas, Bucks Family Medicine, a Levittown medical office, made a huge donation to the annual fund to help neighbors in need. “Merry Christmas from Bucks Family Medicine” read the message from the Levittown medical office. A donation of $10,000 to this year’s Give A Christmas fund was included. Mary Berman, president of … Continue reading "2018 Medical practice donates $10,000 to Give A Christmas" ...

The Gene and Marlene Epstein Humanitarian Fund will match up to a total of $2,500 in donations to the annual Give A Christmas fund. If it were up to philanthropist Gene Epstein, the Give A Christmas fund would be run every day of the year. “It’s incumbent on everyone to make things better for everybody,” … Continue reading "2018 Epstein fund offers helping hand to Give A Christmas" ...

Give A Christmas, which is run by the Levittown-Bristol Kiwanis Club in partnership with the Bucks County Courier Times, works year after year to give at least 4,000 Bucks children a smile on Christmas morning. This year, Give A Christmas has enough to give some vouchers to financially struggling families, but still not enough to … Continue reading "2018 Still time to donate to Give A Christmas" ...

The list of financially struggling families is long and assistance from the community helps families have some small relief, at least for the holiday season. Anyone can fall on hard times. It can happen at any time. And it can be especially difficult for grandparents who are caring for grandchildren on their already tight, fixed … Continue reading "2018 Give A Christmas hears from grandparents requesting help" ...

Now in its seventh year, #GivingTuesday has helped people all over the world with gifts of money, time and assistance. The effort, held the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, serves as an opportunity for people to include charitable organizations in their holiday plans. Here in Bucks County, there is an opportunity to assist your neighbors in … Continue reading "2018 #GivingTuesday a good day to help your neighbors in need" ...

One of the points of pride we have as a newspaper is that we exist to serve our local community. Bringing readers local news is Job No. 1, of course, but we do feel a responsibility beyond that. Perhaps the most tangible example of what that means to us has been our decades-long commitment to … Continue reading "2018 Fitzgerald: Give A Christmas once again brings holidays to those in need" ...

Thousands of single and married parents, grandparents and guardians are facing financial hardship in Bucks County, living the sad reality of not being able to afford to give their children a jolly Christmas filled with toys and food. Their stories of struggle are different, but they yearn for the same thing: They want the holidays … Continue reading "2018 Give A Christmas fund begins to bring holidays to less fortunate" ...

By Chris Ruvo Correspondent: In Bucks County, nearly 42,000 people live below the poverty line. Each one of them is a real person with a story to share. During the holiday season, the Levittown-Bristol Kiwanis Club reads many of the hard-luck tales in letters financially struggling locals send in requesting help from Give A Christmas. … Continue reading "2017 Give A Christmas: Letters from Lower Bucks residents in need" ...

By Chris Ruvo: In the smiles and laughter of children, Mary Berman saw the magic of Give A Christmas at work. For 45 years, Berman was an educator in Lower Bucks County. When she’d return to school from Christmas break, she’d listen to the talk of smiling students happily discussing their holidays. And she knew, … Continue reading "2017 An educator reflects on joy Give A Christmas brings" ...

By Chris Ruvo: The grandmother from Levittown was doing her best to keep up with her granddaughters, who lived with her. Still, given her age and a disability, it wasn’t easy coming up with a way to pay for necessities. That was why, come the holiday season a few years ago, she contacted Give A … Continue reading "2017 Give A Christmas helps make holiday possible for families" ...

By Chris Ruvo: “I am hoping that some way, somehow, I can help them." So said a mother from Lower Bucks County about her young children and their hopes for the holiday season. She expressed the heartfelt desire in a letter pleading for help from Give A Christmas — the holiday season campaign that collects … Continue reading "2018 Give A Christmas this Giving Tuesday" ...

By Chris Ruvo:  The letter cut Patti Stracci to the quick. In it, the member of the Levittown-Bristol Kiwanis Club read about the plight of a single mother who was requesting help from Give A Christmas, an annual holiday season fund drive for the area’s less fortunate residents that Kiwanis conducts in partnership with the … Continue reading "2017 Give A Christmas requests tug at heartstrings" ...

By Chris Ruvo: Each holiday season, the Levittown-Bristol Kiwanis Club delivers two gifts that nourish the souls of people who need them most: hope and love. The volunteer club, a local chapter of the global Kiwanis International organization, provides that spiritual balm through Give A Christmas. Now in its 60th year, Give A Christmas is … Continue reading "2017 Give A Christmas campaign marks 60 years of holiday giving" ...

By Shane Fitzgerald: This is a milestone year for our Give A Christmas program. It’s been 60 years for the Bucks County Courier Times, 50 years for the Burlington County Times and 30 years for The Intelligencer and together, the papers and — most importantly our readers — have raised significant money mostly through small … Continue reading "2017 Milestone anniversaries for Give A Christmas" ...