(Beth Foraker, Miles Postlethwait and October Gonzalez)

This is our annual distribution of buddies during the holidays.  We take some of the funds raised from our annual benefit dinner, plus other individual contributions, and send out hundreds of buddies to sick children during the holidays.  The hospitals look forward to this every year, making the holidays a little brighter for children who are being treated during the holiday season.  Beginning in October and ending in December, this is a great program supporting medically challenged children and their families as well as providing nurses with an educational tool during the holidays.  These past two years, we’ve adopted a local Hispanic preschool, El  Centro, Inc. Academy for Children, for the holidays and enhanced El Centro preschool with fresh paint, carpet, waxed floors, educational supplies, classroom and playground toys while the school was closed for the holiday season. In addition to the schools renovations, we were able to bring Christmas to the families of El Centro. Not only did we provide them with a warm holiday meal, but each family received a holiday gift bag, $75 Price Chopper gift cards and blankets for the seniors.  Our Holiday Hugs giving is approximately  $48,000 a year.