Community members gathered at the Westerville Public Library on Monday evening, October 29, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Westerville Caring and Sharing (WC&S), which became a 501(c)3 charitable organization in 1993. The all-volunteer group is not associated with any organization or business. Their mission is to encourage individuals, businesses, civic, church, and school groups in the Westerville area to care for the less fortunate and to share their resources of time, funds, and energy.
WC&S’s Holiday Project, which was started in 1988, has two components – Holiday Gift Sponsorship and the Food Drive. The Holiday Project helps students and their families with items from their wish list, food basket, gift certificates and personal hygiene products.
The group’s Back-to-School Project is designed to help families with school-aged children who might be overwhelmed in providing school supplies and clothing. WC&S gives students the same type of school supplies that every other pupil has. This allows disadvantaged youngsters to start the school year on equal footing with their peers.
WC&S serves Westerville students who qualify for the subsided lunch program. They also provide school supplies and holiday gifts to pupils whose families are having economic difficulties due to job loss, illness, or disaster. Every school in the Westerville district is helped by WC&S.
In the first 10 years of its existence, WC&S helped 3,815 students for Back to School and 4,621 for the Holiday Project. During the second decade, the organization helped 3,327 youngsters for Back to School and 6,032 for the Holiday Project. In the last nine years, 2,322 pupils benefited from Back to School and 5,513 from the Holiday Project.
Learn more at www.westervillecaringandsharing.org.