It wasn’t the amount of the check that brought joy to Lisa Dalton.

Instead, it was the woman’s kindness.

“Last year, I received a letter in the mail from a woman who was visiting Sunriver last November,” Dalton said. “The woman read a story in the Sunriver Scene about the Sunriver Community Christmas Sharing Program. When she returned to California, she wrote us a check for $100.”

The coordinator for the Sunriver Community Christmas Sharing Program and the teller supervisor at First Interstate Bank in The Village at Sunriver, Dalton said the donation was an unexpected but well-received gift for her and her fellow volunteers.

“We were struggling to make a budget last year and receiving the donation helped a great deal,”

Dalton said. “I am grateful to Sunriver Christian Fellowship for donating a $1,000 to make up our shortfall.”

The Sunriver Community Christmas Sharing Program provides a Christmas meal for families and a Christmas present for children in the 97707 Zip code or the Sunriver and great Three Rivers area. They also provide food baskets for senior citizens.

Dalton and her family members have distributed holiday baskets and gifts and collected donations for the last five years. She has witnessed the joy from parents and individuals who have told her they wouldn’t be able to celebrate Christmas if they hadn’t received the holiday baskets.

“The Christmas Sharing Program brings me joy because the community works together to make sure people don’t go without during the holidays especially families with children,” she said.

In 2024, volunteers provided gift baskets to 41 children, 71 adults and 76 seniors. Children receive wrapped presents and a stocking. Each family receives a turkey or ham and the fixings for a holiday meal including potatoes, rolls, dessert, breakfast foods and household items.

“Our goal is to make sure we can support anyone who asks for a holiday basket,” Dalton said.

She’s grateful for the donations received from community members, adding Sunriver Country Store & Marketplace donates the turkeys each year. The cost for a box of food and household items for a family of four averages is around $350.

“We mostly serve working families who don’t have the additional income to pay for holiday items since many families are living paycheck to paycheck,” she said. “There is stress on many families to carry on holiday traditions. That’s where the more than 25 volunteers with Sunriver Community Christmas Sharing Program come in to relieve some of the financial stress felt by local families.”

Dalton is grateful for the volunteers and community members who make the program possible.

“It brings me joy to work with others on this program because the families are so thankful. The Sunriver Community Christmas Sharing program is about making sure everyone can celebrate the holidays,” she said. “I believe it’s important to bring joy to people because that’s what we need more of in the world.”

• Pick up and fill a grocery bag with nonperishable items. Bags are available starting

Tuesday, Nov. 11 at Community Bible Church, Sunriver Christian Fellowship, First

Interstate Bank in The Village at Sunriver, Sunriver Service District office, The Door in

the Sunriver Business Park, Sunriver Library, Sunriver Saturday Holiday Market and

Sunriver Resort Human Services Department.

• Fill the bag with the items listed on the paper. You also can donate cash or checks,

which will go towards the purchase of gifts and perishable items including hams, turkeys,

eggs, milk and butter.

• The bags need to be returned by Friday, Dec. 12 to Community Bible Church, First

Interstate Bank, Sunriver Service District, The Door, or Sunriver Christian Fellowship.

• Be a sponsor. A business, organized group or individual can be a sponsor by providing a

location for the public to pick up grocery bags or drop off filled grocery bags. Sponsors

also can be a place for giving trees where individuals can make a monetary donation.

Sponsors also can make charitable donations or offer products or services for free or at

reduced prices to support families in the Sunriver community.

How to receive food and gifts:

If you would like to receive a holiday basket and gifts, please pick up an application at Three

Rivers School, Community Bible Church, The Door, Sunriver Christian Fellowship, Care &

Share, First Interstate Bank in The Village at Sunriver or the Sunriver Service District.

Applications must be returned by Friday, Dec. 5. Volunteers will deliver gifts and food baskets

on Saturday, Dec. 20.

For information or to volunteer, contact Lisa Dalton at 541-593-8101 or email

lisa.dalton@fib.com.