One of the strengths of any community is that when times are tough, members of that community who are struggling turn to their neighbors who are in better financial shape for help and assistance.

Over the years the fine folks of Newton County have done just that. This weekend, for instance, the Covington Rotary will be out in the communities of the county distributing Christmas stockings filled with games and toys in order to help Santa reach some boys and girls who have a special need for these gifts.

We salute the Rotarians for their efforts on this.
There are also food banks and churches that are distributing food this year, see the full list under this editorial.

We are collecting toys and food ourselves from our subscribers here at the paper, located at 1166 Usher Street.

Our employees at their annual party bring in extra presents and food to add to this collection, which will be turned over to the local Salvation Army for distribution.
We know that this is a tough year and we can see and feel the stress that people have in our community.

If you can, the next time you go to the grocery store, put together an extra bag of food, or put a little extra in the church collections plate. Every little bit helps.
Merry Christmas.

Willing Helpers Food Pantry
8111 Brown Bridge Road, Covington
(678) 342-3434
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Thursday evening 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Any food is acceptable; try to stay away from bread due to already large supply. A few examples of accepted foods are cereal, mac and cheese, any type of frozen foods, fruits and vegetables

Salvation Army
5193 Washington St., Covington
(770) 786-2107
Food: Tuesday - Thursday 9:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. Donations: 9:00 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Saturday
All types of food are accepted. Try not to bring perishable foods due to lack of space. Biggest need is new toys to give over 500 children a wonderful Christmas

If your church or business is accepting donations, e-mail us at news@covnews.com to be added to our list.