ST. PAULS — For 30 years, the Loflin-Walker Christmas Fund has sought to spread a little cheer among St. Pauls residents in need and has gotten a hand in that mission from the local newspaper.
But with The St. Pauls Review publishing its final print edition in August, organizers recently asked The Robesonian to step in.
“We are of course sorry to see the St. Pauls paper have to end its print edition, but at least this wonderful effort can continue,” Donnie Douglas, editor of The Robesonian, said. “I have always been a bit amazed at how much money that small community has been able to raise to help the needy during Christmas.”
The Robesonian will publish stories on the donations made to the Loflin-Walker Christmas Fund on a weekly basis.
The fund was founded in 1987 by St. Pauls Lions Club member and Town Administrator Joe Loflin in honor of a longtime club member, John Walker. Loflin’s name was added to the fund’s title when he died.
David Evans, a member of the St. Pauls Lions Club, said the fund has grown since its inception, reaching a height of $40,000 in donations collected. Last year, the Loflin Walker Christmas Fund raised $28,023 to help 334 families get food, clothing toys and fuel during the holiday season.
Donations to the fund are converted to gift certificates that can be redeemed at St. Pauls businesses, including Maxway, Bo’s Food Store, Piggly Wiggly, Walane Gas Company, Parnell Oil Company and Walker-Traywick Convenience Store,
“It all stays in the St. Pauls community,” Evans said.
Applications are being accepted through Dec. 4, and gift certificates will be allocated 10 days later, Evans said. Applicants must live in St. Pauls or have a child enrolled in any of the three schools in St. Pauls.
Applications can be picked up at the St. Pauls Police Department on Blue Street and at the St. Pauls Public Library on Broad Street. Applicants will be asked if they have children, what benefits the family receives, and what items they need most. Applications should be mailed to the Lions Club at P.O. Box 653, St. Pauls, North Carolina, 28384, along with a copy of the applicant’s utility bill by Dec. 4.
Evans said volunteers will spend about seven hours on Dec. 14 allocating the money donated based on the applications received. On Dec. 15, gift certificates will be distributed to locals schools, which will send them home with students whose families applied to benefit. The remaining gift certificates for applicants without children will be doled out Dec. 19 at the Scout hut.
Donations can be mailed to the Lions Club at P.O. Box 653, St. Pauls, North Carolina, 28384. Donations that aren’t received before gift certificates are distributed will be kept for next year’s gifts. Gifts can be made in memoriam.
The Robesonian will list the contributors each week until the effort ends.
For information, call 910-676-3281.
