Not everyone in Meadville has packed away all the Christmas decor. One tree on Walnut Street appeared long before others and it remains in the same spot — in the spirit of giving.
The "Giving Tree For Youth" was born on Nov. 1 in front of the Winner household on Walnut Street. The tree provided more than its fair share of Christmas miracles and as February approaches, items are still appearing and disappearing from its branches.
The initial concept behind the giving tree was to provide a place where people could anonymously donate items needed by local youth and those in need could take them, no questions asked, according to Randy Winner.
"We want people to have the blessing of placing items on the tree," said Winner, who makes sure there are plastic bags and clothespins available for those who want to donate.
Winner gave his wife, a school teacher, credit for the original idea.
"She saw trees at school that had mittens on them and thought we could do something similar," he said.
A lot of kids pass the Winner home at 537 Walnut St. on their way to school, according to Winner.
"It seemed like the perfect location," he said.
Since Nov. 1, the tree has been emptied about 11 times and had countless donors, Winner said. The donations that sprouted from the tree weren't all hanging from the branches.
The giving tree provided all sorts of blessings throughout the holiday season via social media, according to Winner. The tree's Facebook page is almost up to 4,000 friends.
"All of those friends are on the page on purpose," Winner said. "Nobody came to the page by accident. They all had to send a friend request. It's amazing to see how many people are watching the site."
The sheer number of people engaged in the Facebook page allowed for specific needs to be filled. There were multiple occasions where people would contact Winner and tell him of a child or family who needed anything from boots to a meal. Winner, in turn, would post it on the page and in most cases those requests were met almost immediately.
During the Christmas holiday, the needs of 28 families were met, four holiday meals were provided and 54 children received gifts, according to Winner. On the opposite side of the coin, 25 donors either gave to an individual or "adopted" a family in need, he said.
"We had one family who thought Christmas dinner was provided and it fell through at the last minute," he said. "They contacted the tree through social media and within 45 minutes an entire meal was provided through the community."
The tree also reached beyond the Meadville community.
"I had a person from the Titusville area ask for help at Christmas," Winner said. "A business from Titusville adopted that family. We wanted to help anyone in need and allow anyone to help."
What started as a way to provide winter clothing accessories has evolved into something more, Winner said. Items that have hung from the tree include hats, gloves, scarves, boots, coats, snow pants, shoes, socks, handmade items, personal items, chapstick, deodorant, toothpaste, diapers, combs, brushes, ornaments, toys, designer purses, backpacks, lotions, creams, stockings and more.
As cold weather continues, the needs will continue to be provided, according to Winner. As warm days start to be more frequent, the tree's theme may change.
"Umbrellas might be a nice addition to the tree at some point," he said.
While Winner doesn't want accolades for his and his family's efforts, one Meadville City Council member thinks recognition is deserved.
"I didn't realize the tree was up beyond Christmas. What a wonderful thing to do," Nancy Mangilo Bittner said. "People are so good here in Meadville."
Mangilo Bittner said she intends to bring it up as a topic of discussion at the next City Council meeting at 4:15 p.m. Feb. 7.
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