Katherine Rittenbach, 7 (l), and Stephanie Neumann, 7, members of Brownie Troop 291, Freehold Township, wrap a gift the troop plans to give to a needy family.
FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — It’s never too early to get into the holiday spirit, and the girls of Brownie Troop 291 showed their spirit this season by helping to provide a merry Christmas for one less fortunate family.
The 12 girls, who are all first-graders at the Joseph J. Catena School, have been collecting donations in the community since June. Their efforts raised enough money to provide the family with winter clothes, toys and food for a holiday dinner, according to Perri Mahan, the troop’s leader.
The Brownies received donations in several forms, such as gift certificates, clothes and food. The majority of the funds, however, came in the form of coins collected by the girls. Their collection of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters each week ranged from less than $20 to more than $70 on one occasion, Mahan said.
The members of Troop 291 wrapped the gifts, with the help of their friends, in the music room of the Catena School on Nov. 17. A representative of the Woman’s Center of Monmouth County, Hazlet, then came to pick up the gifts for the family that had been selected to receive the special holiday gifts, Mahan explained.
— Keith Hahn