Sunday in the Country struggles for support this year

When residents in the Tri-State region think about Thanksgiving and Christmas, they often think about family and friends and the beauty of the area during  yuletide.

Many take a deeper look and think about those who have it a little tougher during the holidays — those who can’t afford to give their children warm coats, new toys or anything else on their wish list.

Sometimes the hardships reach deeper, to an even more basic level. There are people living among us who have a hard time providing their families with that holiday meal, be it a turkey on Thanksgiving, a ham on Christmas or simply a nutritious and filling supper on a cold winter’s night.

For those people, there is a man who has taken on the persona of an angel — a man who has planned and organized and worked and done everything humanly possible to create a regional fundraising effort and successful food drive providing hundreds of meals each year to those in need. That man is known to many in the area as “NASCAR,� short for NASCAR Dave, short for Dave MacMillan, short for worker of miracles.

For 15 years, MacMillan has spearheaded the Sunday in the Country fundraiser and food drive, which has grown into a well-orchestrated charity event that delivers full meals to food banks in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts on both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hundreds who depend on those food banks have come to depend on MacMillan and his supporters — all of whom donate their time and their money and should be thanked for doing so. The community effort that goes into the Sunday in the Country project is impressive, and effective. Last year more than $44,000 was collected to purchase food for 14 food pantries; 525 families were provided with Thanksgiving meals while 550 families were provided with Christmas meals. There was an excess of $6,000, which was split among the food banks on an as-needed basis.

Granted, last year was a banner year, according to MacMillan, but in contrast to what’s been happening so far this year, Sunday in the Country looks to be in real trouble. Donations are crawling in at a snail’s pace, the usual round of fundraisers has pulled in lower numbers than in years past and the cost of food is on the rise. The cumulative result has led MacMillan to predict that there might not be enough funds to supply meals for Christmas this year.

It’s not really surprising, considering the state of the economy. Practically everyone has been hit by the economic downturn — times are tough and folks are weary of parting with their hard-earned cash. But in order for the economy to move forward people will have to be brave enough to spend their money (not all of it, but some of it), and there’s no better way to do that than through charity.

This is where we want to encourage those who can afford to help to do exactly that. It doesn’t take much — $5, $10, $25, more if possible — it can go a long way in helping to feed a family. The need is great and the reward even greater. Knowing you have made a contribution to help your fellow man is truly the best gift of all this holiday season.

And just so  you don’t think that Sunday in the Country is the only game in town, keep reading The Millerton News for more information about other food drives in our communities, toy and clothing drives and additional holiday collections to aid those in need.

To learn how you can contribute to Sunday in the Country, read the full story on this week’s front page.