St. John's United Church of Christ of Bethlehem Township donated gifts to the Boys and Girls Club of Easton for Christmas in 2021.Photo courtesy of the Boys and Girls Club of Easton

While the uptick in COVID-19 cases continues to hurt the health and livelihoods of Lehigh Valley residents, it hasn’t stopped donors from helping disadvantaged children on Easton’s South Side.

Boys and Girls Club of Easton Executive Director Dean Young said St. John’s United Church of Christ on William Penn Highway in Bethlehem Township has stepped up to help families this holiday season.

The club identified 20 children with the greatest needs who also had excellent participation in club programs, regular club attendance and a positive outlook.

The families let the church know each child’s age, gender and clothes sizes. Then the Secret Santas at the church went to work, Young said.

Not only did they buy clothes and shoes for the children, each child got a specific gift wish answered. Some of those wishes included bikes and skateboards.

“Kudos to Pastor Rich Mollica and the St. John’s congregation members who offered their support to the ‘shop for kids’ holiday gift program,” Young said.

More gifts are headed to club members at the annual holiday party on Thursday. Those gifts come courtesy of CVS Pharmacy, Young said.

The club game room is getting a new piece of equipment to be unveiled at the party. The game room addition comes from an anonymous donor who also sponsored gifts for a five-member family in Easton, Young said.

“There’s a lot of goodwill coming from a lot of folks to make the holiday a joyful one for the club kids,” Young said.

It’s not too late to register to attend the holiday party.

Time is running out, though. Young wants attendees to register by Wednesday.

The party will be from 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 23, at the club at 210 Jones Houston Way on Easton’s South Side.

The party is free to children as young as kindergarteners to as old as 12th graders. It’s only open to club members due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19. Attendees must be club members who registered for the fall 2021 season.

The club continues to follow COVID-19 safety precautions to keep guests safe.

To register for the party, contact program director Monica Bowles or administrative assistant Jon Young at 610-703-8575.

You can reach Dean Young at 484-239-2075.

Jill Boyer, left, and her daughter, Emma Boyer, bring gifts donated by CVS to the Boys and Girls Club of Easton for Christmas in 2021.Photo courtesy of the Boys and Girls Club of Easton

Donated gifts arrive at the Boys and Girls Club of Easton for Christmas in 2021.Photo courtesy of the Boys and Girls Club of Easton

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to Lehighvalleylive.com.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com.

Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.

Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (User Agreement updated 1/1/21. Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement updated 5/1/2021).

© 2021 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local.

Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site.