LEWIS — Throughout the North Country, there are businesses, agencies, and individuals who have developed programs and events to help others who are less fortunate, and Dulac Bookkeeping & Tax Service is among them.
The event, dubbed “A Night of Giving” started during the COVID-19 pandemic, which required it for the sake of safety to be a drive-up event. Since then, it has been greatly expanded, mostly by word of mouth.
‘WHAT CAN WE DO?’
“Initially finding out about kids and families in need, my husband Phillip asked, what can we do?’” said Mary Dulac Reynolds, proprietor of the tax service.
“I start putting this together right after the previous Christmas as I can get things when they are on sale. I max out my credit card, but then clients contribute and so I get a lot of it back,” said Mary.
COMMUNITY EFFORT
Unfortunately, on the evening of this year’s event Mary was not able to personally be there to distribute the gifts and participate in the other activities as a few days earlier her husband Phillip was seriously injured in a logging accident.
“I can’t thank my staff and other volunteers enough. I was setting up the last little bit when I got a call to go to the hospital,” said Mary.
“Marshall Crowningshield and Karen Crowningshield have been so great as Santa and Mrs. Claus. They have been here every year. This event is truly for the kids and their families.
“To see the faces on the kids and even the teens make it worthwhile. We even get a smile out of the teens. Each year we add something new. This year it was the lifelike reindeer.”
In addition to each child getting a large bag in order to go “shopping” there are other activities such as throwing soft snowballs at the naughty elves, and stopping at a table to have Cindy Heald help them fill out postcards to be mailed to Santa.
The wide selection of toys are perhaps the most popular items for the youngsters. However, there are also school supplies as well as warm hats and gloves or mittens, cookies, candy and ice cream coupons.
In addition to the evening activities held at the agency, about 15 local families as well as several in Moriah and North Hudson directly receive gifts and necessities.
Not all is as intended as Mary unfortunately learned that there are individuals who have taken advantage of the generosity by returning new items to retailers, and then utilizing the money for other purposes such as purchasing cigarettes.
Thus, she now removes the tags or marks over the UPC barcodes. Mary concluded, “It’s a lot of work but it is worth it.”