By Jennifer Dorsett
Field Editor

It’s supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but for some Texans, the outlook during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is bleak.

Thanks to a generous donation from Camp County Farm Bureau (CFB), however, local children and residents will have food to eat and gifts to open on Christmas morning.

Through the Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) Feeding the Need co-op contribution program, Camp CFB’s $1,000 donation to local nonprofit organization God’s Closet/Camp County Cares was doubled for a total of $2,000.

“It’s the only local assistance organization, and we wanted to keep our dollars local,” Jeff Kilburn, Camp CFB president, said. “God’s Closet has a drive-thru food pantry, offers weekend meals for schoolchildren, assists senior citizens and does a toy giveaway for children each year at Christmas. They do great work in our community, and we were so glad to be able to help them in their mission.”

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many area residents are out of work. Camp CFB board of directors asked God’s Closet leadership to use the funds however they see fit, as long as some of it went to the Christmas toy program.

“It’s no different here than it is anywhere else right now. People were laid off. Some people have lost their jobs permanently, but everyone still has bills to pay and families to feed,” Kilburn said. “We told God’s Closet to use the donation at their discretion, because they knew where the need was better than we do. We just wanted to make sure that all the kids in Camp County had a toy to open at Christmas.”

It’s all thanks to the giving spirit and generosity of TFB members, he added.

“All of the funds come from the membership of Farm Bureau, both our local donation and that matched by the state, and we’re very thankful for that generosity,” Kilburn said.

Through Feeding the Need, TFB will match a county Farm Bureau donation of up to $1,000 for any qualified donation. The county Farm Bureau pays the total determined amount and TFB reimburses one-half of the total up to $1,000.

The program is in effect for expenditures incurred from Sept. 1, 2020, up until and including Dec. 31, 2020, or until budgeted funds are exhausted.