Ladies Collect Holiday Decorations for Hurricane Victims

Boughs of holly can be seen decking the halls of many a home this holiday season, but for some who lost their holiday decorations in August's , the season is a painful reminder of what was damaged.

The members of the newly formed Ladies' Guild of are trying to help by spreading holiday cheer-and decor- throughout the local area to victims. The group has collected dozens of boxes of holiday decorations and will be packaging them up and donating strands of lights, ornaments, garland and more to residents in Pompton Lakes and Paterson through churches next week.

Ladies' Guild President Julie Puccia said the group, which was formed in May, originally decided to handpaint Christmas ornaments to distribute with notes offering thoughts and prayers to those who received them. Puccia said the group joined forces with several Kinnelon Girl Scout troops to make the ornaments.

Regan Sharkey, the liaison between the troops and Girl Scout Council, said at least three troops participated.

"I know the girls had a lot of fun making them and I think, personally, it's a really great experience. Something that takes only five minutes of your time can really make a difference," Sharkey said.

While making the ornaments, Puccia said one of the ladies in the group had the idea to donate more holiday decor to the victims.

"When we found out what a need there was, we said, 'Alright, we'll collect Christmas decor,'" she said.

Puccia and the ladies reached out to and the where donation boxes were set up throughout the month of November. It was not long before the boxes began to fill and the ladies were receiving phone calls from residents wanting to donate Christmas trees. While the trees are "on call" (Puccia said if the ladies receive a specific request for a tree for a flooding victim, they will deliver it), donations have been made from across Route 23 as well.

On Monday, Puccia picked up a carload of decorations from the where Donna Tintle donated decorations left over from the church's holiday bazaar.

"We just had so much stuff that had been donated to us for our sale, so we wanted to pass it on to a good home," said Tintle.

Tintle had learned from a parishioner who lives in about the Ladies' Guild's donation drive and had recommended the donation.

Since the Ladies' Guild began, with over 45 members, the women have been working to help others in need.

"There were a number of us in our bible study that were talking one day and there are so many women who just want to do stuff," Puccia said.

One thing the group has been working on is expanding the "prayer shawl" ministry they have formed. With it, the ladies knit and crochet shawls which are distributed to people who have recently lost a loved on and are in need of comfort, or people who have recently been diagnosed with a disease. The ladies also participate in a rosary group and prayer chain.

While the holiday decoration drive is the first donation effort of the group, Puccia said it has been successful, with dozens of truckloads ready to be donated, and that there will be more events.

"[This] was the first thing we did and it's to a point where it just kind of exploded," she said. "It just makes me feel so good that there's so many good people out there willing to help...We just thought that if [the victims] knew that there were people out there who were thinking about them, it makes a difference."

Donations will be accepted until Monday and can be dropped off at the Kinnelon Public Library, 132 Kinnelon Road.