Lions Distribute a Record 126 Gift Cards for Holiday Meals

The Plainfield Lions Club distributed a record 126 grocery store gift cards Saturday to help families in need purchase a holiday meal.

The group's annual Christmas "basket" program, now in its 65th year, will benefitt more than 500 people this year. Each of the 126 families were given a gift card to , said Larry Wiers, who co-chairs the effort with Ron Lee.

“I’m incredibly proud of our club and its caring heart,” Wiers said in a media release.

“The response we get from the families is truly heartwarming. ... We know we have touched them in a very real way and hopefully lightened their burden during this holiday season.”

In the last 13 years, the Plainfield Lions Club has provided nearly 1,200 families with $123,525 in food gift certificates, Weirs said. The number of families being helped has increased as the population has grown, prompting the group to increase its “basket” allocation from $2,221 in 1999 to $15,550 in 2011, he said.  

The organization conducts fundraisers throughout the year to raise money for the “basket” program as well as other outreach efforts, including a free spaghetti dinner for seniors and eye care and glasses to those in need.  Fundraisers include a spring dinner/silent auction, a summer golf outing, a fall candy drive and a nut sale during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.