Newspaper continues to brighten holiday season

MARQUETTE — We all know the holidays are about giving to others and Giving Tuesday is just the beginning.

Every year the Mining Journal plays an important role in collecting gifts for the Salvation Army through the Cheer Club. Gifts are pouring into the paper’s main office and the Salvation Army.

“We give gifts so that everybody at Christmas has a chance to have sometime underneath the tree,” said The Mining Journal Publisher/General Manager Jim Reevs. “The people that are in need and this year is as great as it has ever been. Without the help of the Salvation Army or St.Vincent de Paul they would have no gift underneath the tree, so we give people the opportunity to come in and give to the cheer club. We have had families coming in for years that use to come in as children and now they are bringing in their children to give to the cheer club.”

This is the newspaper’s 37th year of holding the toy drive.

“There is no better gift that you can give someone else other than your generosity and that gift comes back to you than a warm heart and a good feeling that you helped someone that wouldn’t have had Christmas without it. It is just the people of the U.P are very giving, very caring and we are very lucky to have those type of people here and I think that’s what keeps it going.”

Reevs added that, over the years, people have always been more than happy to help buy and bring in gifts.

“This is the time of year that we really get involved with the gifts for the children because, like I said I’ve heard the stories where the family came in and said if it wouldn’t have been for the help from the cheer club and Salvation Army this year we would not have had a Christmas. We didn’t have a tree, we wouldn’t have had any food, we wouldn’t have had any gifts for the family at all. So that is why it is important this time of year.”

The Friday before Christmas is the last day of the drive, and if you cant make it here by that time that’s ok they will still accept your donations and use them for next years drive. It is asked that you leave your gifts unwrapped and monetary donations are also accepted.

Alongside the Mining Journal and Salvation Army’s offices, there are other drop–off locations. The Marquette Township Hall, Ace Hardware in Gwinn, and the U.P Health System–Bell are also accepting donations.