Video: Vardaman ‘Change For Christmas’ Makes a Difference

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VARDAMAN, Miss. (WCBI) — It’s like the Biblical story of loaves and fishes…turning a little into a lot to help the needy.

Students and teachers at a Calhoun County school have been donating and collecting “Change For Christmas.” It’s all going to help needy children and their families this holiday season.

For the eighth year, Vardaman Elementary School teachers Jeannie Winter, Annie Anderson, and Jenny Hill have been asking for pocket change from those who can spare it. On Monday, coins could be seen everywhere at the school.

“We just wanted to do something for some kids and we just picked a couple of kids and said we’d buy Christmas for them and it went from there. It just caught on,” explained Anderson.

“This community is amazing, I mean they just wanted to help us. All I do, we put it out there, we send letters out every year stating what we’re going to do and money starts coming in,” said Winter.

Students who are told about the mission to make Christmas merry for the less fortunate are challenged to raise the most money.

“And we promise them a pizza party so it’s amazing how much money the kids raise. On an average the students raise about a thousand dollars to go towards our change for Christmas,” said Anderson.

Change collected purchases coats, other articles of clothing, and toys. Needy kids submit letters to Santa and teachers help to identify the others who benefit.

“Whenever our teachers turn in a name for our program, and if it’s a family of five or six or whatever, some of them are at the high school  or some of them are infants or children, then we usually just help them too. We buy for the whole family, we don’t leave any of the kids out,” said Hill.

“Thursday I think we are going to have parents come to our school and pick up because it’s gotten so big we can’t deliver. We used to deliver years ago, but now it’s gotten so big that we can’t deliver so they just come and pick up,” said Anderson.

Because of the efforts of a few, Christmas is a little better for some Calhoun County families.

Last year Vardaman Elementary students collected about $4,000. There was also a can food drive for the needy.