It is early November and Halloween is still fresh on everyone’s minds, but that hasn’t stopped stores, commercials and restaurants from pushing their Christmas deals and ads. Some of them even started before October’s flagship holiday.

The Christmas hype that seems to start earlier and earlier every year is not only used to make a sale, though, as other organizations are starting to spread Christmas cheer in a way that benefits others.

Most recently, the Chambers County Bradshaw Library has started taking food donations for book fines and will soon begin their Angel Tree as well.

The food donations will be made to the Christian Service Center and then distributed to families and individuals who aren’t able to get the staple items themselves. Even without the incentive of having the fines forgiven, having a centralized place in the Greater Valley Area where non-perishable food items can be dropped off for those in need should be more than enough of a reason to contribute.

Also through the Christian Service Center, the angel tree gives interested citizens a way to brighten Christmas morning for children who otherwise might not be able to partake in the celebrations like their peers.

With each child on the tree requesting something but expecting none of it, any little treat or toy goes a long way in helping them better enjoy the holiday season.

These type of donation drives and events are vital to a community as close-knit as the Valley. While some folks are fortunate and have the means to feed their families and get toys for their kids, others spend every day trying to make ends meet. Thankfully, the more fortunate of us can utilize these drives in a way that benefits our neighbor, even if we have never met them before.

Even if it doesn’t seem like much, the smallest of donations can completely change someone’s Christmas from stressful to super.