Published: December 26, 2008 12:21 pm      

Lions Club distributes 270 food baskets

At 7 a.m. Christmas Eve morning, the Corbin Vocational School’s garage was filled with more than 270 food baskets that were to be delivered to needy families in the area.

By 8:30 a.m., volunteers and members of the Corbin Lions Club had moved all but around 30 of them.

“They’ve been going out real smooth this year,” Lions Club President Mike Pawula said.

For the 49th year, the Corbin Lions Club held its Christmas Food Basket Event. Thursday morning, volunteers and club members gathered in the garage area of the Corbin Vocational School to load the baskets and deliver them to needy families.

Pawula said donations from local businesses and citizens go toward funding the food baskets. Auto shop students at the vocational school even help put the baskets together, filling them with items such as ham, turkey, milk, bread, vegetables and toothpaste. There are also books and toys for the children. The baskets are delivered to families in Corbin, Gray, Rockholds and Lily.

For the past 20 years, Pawula has taken part in the Lions Club Food Baskets program and said it is an irreplaceable tradition and experience.

“It’s not Christmas unless I do this,” he said. “There’s a good feeling in giving. When you give to somebody who really needs it, it just fills your heart.”

The need in the area, Pawula said, is greater this year. Last year, the Lions Club delivered around 185 baskets. This year, they were able to give out about 90 more.

Despite a downturn in the economy, Lions Club Vice President and Food Basket Chairman Lee Campbell said the club actually received more donations this year. Campbell said he was extremely appreciative of the volunteers and donors.

“I just appreciate everybody’s help,” he said. “We couldn’t do it without their help every year...The community has really gotten behind us.”

Although he is only in his third year as a Lions Club member, Campbell said he has taken part in the food basket program since he was 17, when he and his father would deliver baskets to area homes.

“To me, this is great,” he said.

Campbell recalled his first year of delivering. Then a high school football player, Campbell said he and his father entered a home to deliver food to a family and toys for their children. Campbell said the children began crying because they would actually have something that Christmas. That moment brought out Campbell’s emotions as well.

“So I sat right there and cried with them,” he said.

Like Pawula, Campbell has made the Lions Club Food Basket program a holiday tradition, one he says he wouldn’t trade for anything.

“It’s a very moving experience,” Campbell said. “It’s a big part of my Christmas and I really enjoy it.”