The annual Southern End Gift Drive will be held on Saturday, Dec. 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on Monday, Dec. 11, from 2 to 6 p.m., at Joyfully Made Fellowship, 75 Mount Hope Road, Quarryville. The drive will be open to families with children 18 years old or younger who live in the Solanco School District. Donations may be dropped off until Friday, Dec. 1 at any school or administration building in the Solanco School District, as well as various businesses and churches in the area.

This is the second year that the school district will hold the Southern End Gift Drive, and the project is being spearheaded by social workers Avery Hill and Shanna Hecker. The drive combines the previously held Solanco Toy Drive and the Angel Tree Project. Through the Angel Tree Project, Hill collected wish lists from students throughout the school district; each student received five items from his or her list for Christmas.

Last year, Hill directed the focus of the Angel Tree Project to serve the needs of students who were experiencing homelessness, and the inaugural gift drive sought to provide for the remaining students in need. The Angel Tree Project was established close to 10 years ago not only to ensure that every student in the Solanco School District has a happy holiday, but to acknowledge the issues that he or she may be struggling with outside of school. The program was sustained by a wave of support from the community, gradually expanding the range of students who could receive support as well as including items such as winter clothing.

The 2022 Southern End Gift Drive served nearly 350 students, and Hill is confident that it will be equally successful this year. "There is a lot of need, and we are looking forward to bringing some holiday magic to our community," Hill said.

This year, Hill and Hecker have partnered with Tami Shaub to host the drive at Joyfully Made Fellowship, a newly established special needs ministry. "We would like to thank all of our volunteers and amazing donors who continue to support this project," Hill said. "This would be impossible without the generosity and compassion of all of us coming together every year."

To register a child for the gift drive, parents and legal guardians may visit https://tinyurl.com/SEgiftdrive23. To view the full list of drop-off locations, search for "Southern End Gift Drive" on Facebook. For more information, contact avery_hill@solancosd.org.