Well, if you didn’t already know there was a Giving Tree in Lisbon. What was the Giving Tree? The Giving Tree was a community service project that provided a joyous and cheerful holiday for the less fortunate. To make this Giving Tree possible, Judy Hardy-Goddard, the Welfare Director for Lisbon, had to be extremely organized. Judy Hardy-Goddard, with the assistance of Starr Hardy, the youth group of the Lisbon Falls Baptist Church, and many other Volunteers helped with the Giving Tree. This year the program helped approximately one hundred and fifty families.

The Giving Tree project is a year long service and the process begins shortly after the Christmas season ends. The

Giving Tree helps a lot of families. Volunteers work very hard all year to make sure they maintain the confidentiality of each child and every family. The process involves Volunteers assigning each child who needs assistance, a number. Once the numbers are assigned, Volunteers make out tags. The tags indicate the gender of the child in need, then their age, and what they want for Christmas. The request process begins by distributing the tags to the Lisbon Methodist Church, Lisbon High School, St. Matthew’s Church, Lisbon Falls Library, Holy Trinity Church, the Town of Lisbon, and the Town of Durham.

By now I bet now you are wondering what areas the Giving Tree helps. Each year this program assists the families of Lisbon, Lisbon Falls, Durham, and Sabattus. Children needing assistance are provided with two gifts. With each needy child receiving two gifts, you can just imagine how many gifts there are to wrap! All of the wonderful Volunteers help with wrapping and getting the gifts ready at the old Lisbon Elementary School.

The request for assistance is accepted right up to the time stores close on Christmas Eve. Organizers never know when they will have all the gifts, but all gifts are usually distributed to the parents a few days before Christmas. I know you are probably thinking how can all the gift wishes be provided? Well, organizers of the program get assistance with money to buy the gifts by cash donations, and the generosity of local businesses, and thanks to the all of the amazing people that fill all the tags from the various locations.

Can you believe that the Giving Tree was started twenty-three years ago by Catholic Charities and the Lisbon Town Office? Out of the twenty-three years, the Giving Tree has been around, Judy Hardy-Goddard has helped twenty of those years! If it were not for the caring people that help with the Giving Tree, many unfortunate families would not have a Christmas.

As you read this article, the next year of planning for the 2008 Giving Tree has already begun!