Woman Brings Holiday Joy to Families for 46th Year

ZANESVILLE, OH – One local woman is making sure area kids have the best Christmas ever.

For the last 46 years, Anna Scheid has collected toys and food to be handed out to area families for the holidays.

Scheid said the first Christmas she did this she only had one family to shop for, this year she has over 200.

“I used to have a restaurant in New Concord and it was sort of like the community place, if anybody needed anything they called us,” Scheid said. “I got a phone call and they said we have a family that moved in down on Maple Avenue and they have a bunch of little kids and they have nothing for Christmas. So I said okay, we’ll put a can out on the counter, and we did, then we went and bought presents for them and that’s how it started.”

Scheid said this project takes the whole year to prepare for as well as a good support system of 26 Churches that help to make Christmas a little merrier.

She said this is her calling and she wants to help as many families as she can.

“Everyone has their heart in this. If they don’t they’re not going to show up or they’re not even going to take a card,” Scheid said. “The churches are so giving and a lot of these people are here till late at night, evening up these gifts, going out and delivering them all, everything it takes.”

Pickups for toys and food boxes began today at 10AM and will resume again at 10AM on Friday at the Chandlersville Community Building, located at 8775 Chandlersville Rd.