This Christmas season, give the gift of hope to area families in crisis who struggle to put food on the table and pay for the basic necessities that most of us take for granted.

Honor your friends, family and business associates with a donation to Hill Country Community Ministries and an acknowledgment card to commemorate your gift.

            

For a donation of $10, you will receive a card acknowledging your gift to Hill Country Community Ministries in honor of your card recipient.  The card is the perfect size to tuck inside a Christmas card, include with a gift of homemade treats, use as a "stocking stuffer" or hand out to special people you want to remember with a small, but thoughtful, gift.

To Make a Donation & Receive Your Cards

To make a donation and receive your acknowledgment cards, send your name, address and check made out to Hill Country Community Ministries, P. O. Box 1064, Leander, Texas 78646.  Write "Gift of Hope" on the memo portion of your check.

You will receive one card for every $10 donation ($50 donation, receive 5 cards, etc.)  Cards will be mailed to you the same day your donation is received.

Thank you for helping us make a difference in the lives of families in need.

It's hectic around HCCM these days!  Lots of families needing assistance and our volunteers are busy distributing Thanksgiving food boxes, along with filling regular food orders for families in need.

 
Dell "Make a Difference Day" volunteers spent a morning at HCCM sorting food from recent food drives.

In addition, we are blessed with mountains of food collected and donated by area churches, businesses, schools, civic organizations and individuals.  All of this food has to be sorted, stocked, boxed, stored and/or moved from place to place around our facility.  This process involves all of our regular volunteers plus a number of volunteer work groups who provide extra support at this time of year.

We couldn't do this without the dedication and hard work of about 200 volunteers!  To all our volunteers, we say thank you, thank you, thank you!

We appreciate Cedar Park Chamber of Commerce and the Cedar Park Leadership program.  Our community benefits greatly from the leadership of the men and women who take time from their busy schedules to participate.   Thank you!

Demonstrating their commitment to giving to others, Primrose School at Vista Ridge and Primrose School of Cedar Park West recently helped feed area families in need by donating 1,600 nonperishable food items to HCCM.

           

Children from Primrose Schools participated in a food drive, but they did much more than simply bring items from their parent's cupboard.  As owner Christy Herbstreit explained, "the students earned money by completing extra chores at home, pooled their earnings and then counted the money in the classroom.  They reviewed grocery store sale ads to find the best values on nutritional food, created a detailed shopping list, and went on a field trip to H-E-B grocery store to shop for the food."  In all, the Kindergarten students raised $675!

I've shared this piece before, but I never get tired of reading it as Thanksgiving approaches.  It serves as a reminder that Thanksgiving is, or should be, a state of mind, not just a holiday celebrated once a year.

"Thankfulness sets in motion a chain reaction that transforms people all around us--including ourselves.  For no one ever misunderstands the melody of a grateful heart.  It's message is universal; its lyrics transcend all earthly barriers; its music touches the heavens."
                                                                             Anonymous