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Each year in The Sun Chronicle readership area, which spans 10 communities, there are hundreds of families in need of a helping hand to get through the holiday season.

Fortunately for those families, there also are hundreds of individuals throughout the area who donate their time and effort each year to help raise money or collect gifts for those families.

In keeping with its tradition of saluting some of those invaluable volunteers each year, The Sun Chronicle, along with key organizers of two of the area's biggest drives, offer the following tribute.

Christmas Is For Kids

Mark, Susan and Ashley Gilmore of North Attleboro have been donating their time and effort to the Christmas Is For Kids area gift drive, based out of Attleboro, for just a few of the drive's 25 years, but the effect of their efforts are worth much more, according to the drive's main organizer Kelly Fox. "The Gilmore family started helping with Christmas Is for Kids just three years ago, but they have made this a family endeavor, and the drop-off center wouldn't be the same without them now!" said Fox, who is also president of the Greater Attleboro Area Council for Children, which heads up the drive.

"Their first year, Sue became our designated sock-buyer. I sent her out to get 600 pairs of socks for the children, and when she came back, she was ready for any task!" Fox said.

With her husband, Mark, an account manager for C & R Awards, and their daughter Ashley, a junior at North Attleboro High School, joining her in the cause last year, Fox said the Gilmore family also helps with other Council for Children programs during the year, and even "spent a very cold Saturday at the Community School in North Attleboro collecting toys with the Achin's Garage toy drive" during this year's drive.

"Their willingness to help, and obvious love of children, make them a perfect fit for our programs," Fox said. "It's wonderful to see them work so well together as a family, and anyone can tell that they truly enjoy each other's company and have fun together as a family."

For their role in the gift drive, the Gilmores spend a few evenings a week at the donor center, performing a variety of tasks from accepting and checking off donated gifts to making sure the donated gifts are best used to fill each child's wish list.

As for why they give up their family time to help others through such an effort, Sue says, "I have children of my own and understand that in hard times Christmas can be a struggle. It is nice to give back to others what God has given to me."

Having witnessed the end results, when parents pick up their children's gifts, Gilmore says she also holds the satisfaction of knowing that the beneficiaries of the drive are going to have a very merry Christmas.

"Last year I volunteered on distribution day," she said. "I was very moved by the emotions of the parents when they saw the wonderful bagful of gifts for their children," says Sue Gilmore.

For Mark Gilmore, the desire to help is also in knowing that he is working toward a common goal shared by all the volunteers - that the families and children are taken care of for this special day in their lives.

"I am amazed when you consider the organization as a complete unit and the amount of time sacrificed and energies spent by the donors to the gift of giving," he said. "The volunteers that work with each other on a daily basis, sharing ideas and making them work well is a great satisfaction!" For Ashley Gilmore, having not had to experience a Christmas without gifts is all the more reason to help. "Reading the background stories always makes me realize how blessed I am, and it feels really good to help people who are going through rough times," she said. "It's a good cause, and I like knowing that these kid's get to open presents on Christmas Day."

Salvation Army

The Salvation Army Gift Drive, headed in Attleboro by Warren and Ruth Blais, which provides gifts for children as well as food baskets for their families, is always in need of volunteers.

Linda Glennon has been one of those volunteers for about six years now, and tops the list of just how invaluable volunteers are to the drive, according to Ruth Blais.

"People like Linda are the hands and feet that this organization needs to keep going," Blais said. "Linda volunteers, not only at Christmas time, but all year round. She adds a spark of joy to the lives of the people in the office as well as all those that come in to receive our services."

Reflecting on Glennon's "tireless" efforts as well as those of the many others who step up to the plate each year, Blais says that they exemplify the true meaning of volunteering.

"In these times when the economy is getting tougher and tougher, people often feel that they have nothing to give," Blais said. "Linda and other volunteers prove that theory wrong. We can give of ourselves. Volunteering is love in action."

During the gift drive, not counting her volunteer efforts for the Salvation Army through the year, Glennon, who is disabled and not allowed to work, volunteers her time five days a week, six hours a day, ringing the bell at the Salvation Army's various kettle drive locations. She also helps out with others tasks during the drive, from helping individuals fill out application forms to distributing the gifts.

As for why she does, it she said it all started when she was in a time of need herself, and looking for a church to attend.

"I went to the Salvation Army and at that time I had a problem," she said. "I needed a little financial help and definitely spiritual help, and they were very good to me. I started going to church, and I just kind of fell into it. They needed volunteers for one or two days to answer the phone and that's how I kind of started out doing that."

As for why she continues to do it, Glennon says, "I just feel very blessed that I'm in a position where I can do this. They've been really good to me, and I like to return it because I've been there and I know what it's like. I was a single mother for many years and raised two children."

Toys for Tots

For the past three years, Paul and Jane Texeira made their family business, the Teixeira Financial Group, located at 228 County St., Attleboro, available as a drop-off site for the nationwide Toys for Tots program conducted for more than 60 years by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves.

In that role, they collected more than 1,000 toys the first two years, and have been experiencing a very positive response to this year's drive.

"We first came to volunteer as a Toys for Tots drop-off site three years ago as a result of several calls asking if we could assist in helping needy families," The Texeiras say." We reach out to the general public for which their generosity has been consistently overwhelming."

As for their personal reasons for continuing the effort, the Texeiras say, "We participate in the Toys for Tots program to be able to give back something to the community, especially those families in need. This is one of many charitable organizations that we consistently help to support."

Reflecting on the personal impact that their volunteer effort has had on them the Texeiras say it has been "The gratification that one experiences when giving to such a generous cause knowing it is helping to fulfill a child's dream."

Although the Texeiras were doubtful about how well received the drive would be in the current troubled economy, they says they are "pleased, but not surprised, with the very generous response we have received. It is a tribute to those individuals and companies who have made this another successful year."

Janette Sears can be reached by phone or fax at 508-222-0993 or by e-mail at janette.boulay@gmail.com.