AUGUSTA —A relationship that has brought holiday joy to hundreds of families in need in the Augusta area will now extend the cooperation and goodwill to Christmas.

St. Michael School and the Salvation Army teamed up to distribute Christmas toys to nearly 200 local families on Dec. 20 at the school’s gym.

The event stems from the successful Thanksgiving partnership between the school and organization that annually provides more than 150 Thanksgiving baskets, containing all of the fixings for a traditional meal, to community members.

“When we were doing our distribution at Thanksgiving this year, representatives from the Salvation Army were looking at the size of our gym and wished aloud that they had a place like this to give out their Christmas toys,” said Kevin Cullen, principal of St. Michael. “I said, ‘How about this gym?’”

After some quick planning, St. Michael worked out how to repurpose the gym for the day and became the distribution venue in time for this Christmas. In addition to the venue, the school also offered human help to the cause. About 60 children participated in the set up and distribution. 

The time, effort and commitment involved in adding a Christmas distribution to the massive Thanksgiving program was minor compared to the effect the day had on students and the community alike.