In 1995, TCCP was created by Reverend Peg Custer and her husband Lee, along with some parishioners of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. The original goal was to ensure that every Tamworth child, through age 18, had a warm coat, snow pants, and boots which would allow them to fully participate in winter activities like recess, outdoor play, and the ski program.
A system was set up so that donations are raised in the fall, families register their needs with the group, and a dedicated bunch of shoppers searches far and wide for the best money can buy. In the old days, affordable shopping was limited to Ames and Kmart. When Walmart came to the Valley, they provided assistance to the shoppers to ensure that all kids’ needs were met. Now our volunteers can access online sales as well as travel to various stores.
The Altrusas joined the work as shoppers, streamlining our process and keeping the gifts organized by family. The Board has a small group of trusty thank you note writers who has taken on the responsibility of writing about 140 thank you cards each year; it’s important to let our donors know that this project wouldn’t exist without their generosity.
Some years, donations allow a small gift to be included with the warm clothes, and when money allows, pajamas are purchased for each child on our list; one year there was enough funding to buy a book for every kiddo! Because of donor generosity in recent years, we’ve been able to include a Hannaford gift card for each family.
In 2021, 70 children from 33 families received gifts from TCCP!
Susan Peter has been the treasurer of TCCP since year two of this important work. Cathy Baybutt stepped in as President when Peg retired. The two have shepherded a solid, devoted board and have built TCCP into a respected, important part of Tamworth’s holiday season. Other board members include Melissa Smith, Sheena Abbott, Donna Ulitz, Susan Colten, Lisa Remick, Lorraine Streeter, Kathi Brown, and Lianne Prentice.