McIntosh spreads a little Christmas cheer to needy children

The rain may have dampened the Christmas spirit for some, but not for some of the children of Diamond who were treated to breakfast and a bag of goodies, compliments resident Michelle McIntosh.{{more}}

This year, McIntosh continued with a Christmas Day activity she started one year ago — distributing gifts to the needy children in the community.

In 2012, McIntosh drove through the community, distributing over 40 gifts; this year, she said that she wanted to add a more personal flair, so she invited the children to her home for breakfast and to receive a gift.

“And what was interesting about this year, as I was preparing the breakfast with all the rain, all the children showed up,” she explained.

According to McIntosh, she distributed gifts to more than 80 children this year, as some returned on Boxing Day.

McIntosh’s roots are in Calliaqua, and she said that the original plan was to visit the area on Christmas Day; but with the heavy rains, this could not be accommodated.

So, she improvised and set up a booth at the annual Potential Steel Orchestra concert, which is usually held in Calliaqua, where she distributed goodies to the children of the community also.

“Every child left with a bag,” she said, adding that a kitchenette and game console system were raffled off at the event.

But despite all the work and time, McIntosh said that she is committed to doing the same next year – and if the trend continues, she anticipates more patrons.

And while she says that she is doing her part to bring the joy of Christmas to some of the less fortunate, McIntosh said that she owes the success of this year’s event to her sisters Petra and Odette McIntosh, who reside in Toronto, Canada, and who helped in the purchase of the toys.

She also thanked KLC Shipping in Canada for assisting with the transportation of the items, free of charge, and the parents of the children for allowing them to come out.

McIntosh, a sales representative, took up residency in the Diamond community in 2005 and since then has developed a close relationship with many of the other residents.

“There are some children that I know that would not have had a toy for Christmas,” she said.

So, starting last year, she said that she decided to put everything together and drive through the village and distribute the gifts to the children.(DD)