To Our Valued Readers: For the 23rd year, we are asking for your help again

For more than two decades, we have turned to you each holiday season and asked you to open your hearts — and wallets — to the less fortunate in our area. And every year, in good times and in bad, you have responded.

You have helped provide shelter, clothing, food, job skills and utilities to our neediest residents through the charitable organizations that help them. More than that, you’ve provided a sense that the community cares, and that there is hope for a brighter future.

This is the 23rd edition of A Book of Dreams, and we are asking once again for your support. Inside our section, you’ll find stories about the agencies that we have chosen to receive some holiday help. You can view the entire section and donate online at www.modbee.com/dreams

For some seniors, a lunch delivered by a Meals on Wheels volunteer is the only contact they get with another person on a given day, not to mention the only meal. For some women in an abusive relationship, Haven is the only place they can go that will ensure they and their children are safe. And for those suffering a catastrophic loss, such as a home destroyed by fire, Red Cross volunteers are the first on the scene to provide a warm blanket, a hot meal and a place to stay.

These are just a few examples of the wonderful work done by these agencies on a daily basis, generally on a shoestring budget. We know you will enjoy reading about them and the people that they help, and we hope you again reach out to help them do this valuable work.

Sincerely,

Eric Johnston, publisher

Joe Kieta, editor