In a recent press release, Steve Lindley, Director of Communications, wrote:

Putnam City Care Share Program Looking for More Help for Children

The Care Share Program, a volunteer effort that assists families in need in Putnam City schools, is asking for more people and organizations to help children have a merry Christmas.

Sherri Boyd, Care Share coordinator, says additional help is needed this year because some organizations and individuals that have participated in the past are not able to do so this year.

Care Share was started 28 years ago by a counselor at Putnam City’s Northridge Elementary School, Penny Poe. In the earliest years of the program, it was typical for about 50 families to receive help in order to make Christmas possible for 150 children. By the mid-1990s the number of families receiving help climbed to 150, making it possible for 500 children to have Christmas presents under the tree. Last year, Care Share efforts made it possible for 429 Putnam City families with 1,239 children to receive Christmas presents.

Sally Limber, a Putnam City parent and a teacher in who has participated in Care Share for more than 20 years, says it’s an important effort.

“I’ve seen the need for Care Share grow tremendously. It's very meaningful to me to each year be able to help provide presents for children who might not otherwise have them,” Limber says.

Throughout the school year, Care Share provides coats and shoes to students who need them. During the Christmas season, efforts ramp up as students, parents and staff at each school adopt families and provide children with clothing and toys.

“There are real needs in our community and real hardships in people’s lives. Care Share has helped families in which parents are not in the picture and it’s the grandparents who are raising the children. We’ve helped families who lost everything they had in a fire. There are single parents who aren’t making it. There are people who’ve suffered setbacks and tragedies. There are times you hear the stories and want to cry. And then you roll up your sleeves and get back to the work of helping them,” Boyd says.

Boyd says needs in the district are not limited to any single ZIP code.

“Needs are needs, wherever they are. We provide Care Share help to families in every school in the district,” she says.

About 40 percent of Christmas clothing and toys come from church congregations or individuals who once had students in the district, Boyd says. The other 60 percent comes through the generosity of Putnam City students, PTAs, individual parents and school and district staff.

"As a teacher, I love seeing my students going above and beyond to help others less fortunate than themselves. Care Share gives our students the opportunity to realize what Christmas is all about - giving!" says Cathy Keller, a math teacher at Putnam City North High School.

People who wish to be part of the Care Share effort can help in two ways. First, individuals as well as businesses, churches and other organizations may choose to “adopt” a family. Adopting a family means receiving a list of needs of each child in the family and hitting local stores to shop for those needs. Gifts are delivered to the school where families in need pick them up shortly before Christmas. The deadline for adopting a family is Wednesday, Nov. 10. Adoption registration forms are available at http://pcf4kids.publishpath.com/care-share-program

People may also donate to Care Share so that Care Share volunteers can purchase Christmas gifts for children in families in need. Checks may be sent to the Putnam City Foundation, made payable to Care Share, at 5401 NW 40th, Oklahoma City, OK 73122. Online donations may be made via the Putnam City Public Schools Foundation website at www.pcf4kids.org by clicking the “donate” icon located on the right side of the page and by making a note in the comment section that proceeds are to be dedicated to Care Share.

“We’re not an agency of any kind. We don’t get grants. We’re an organization made up completely of volunteers, and what we’re doing is trying to help Putnam City families that need help. Having more people and organizations come forward to join in that effort would be a blessing,” Boyd says.