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Mental Health America seeking help for Operation Santa Christmas celebration

Aiken Standard (SC) - 10/6/2014

Oct. 05--Mental Health America of Aiken County is seeking help from the community as it starts to get ready for its Operation Santa Christmas celebration and dinner.

The event provides holiday cheer to more than 200 adults who have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder, such as schizophrenia or depression.

"For most of the people who come, it's a tradition for them, and for a lot of them, it's their only Christmas celebration," said Lisa Tindal, who is Mental Health America of Aiken County's executive director.

The Operation Santa Christmas celebration and dinner will be held Dec. 10 in the Community Room at Aiken Electric Cooperative on Wagener Road.

One way to contribute to the effort is to adopt and sponsor an individual who will be attending the event.

"We have these big red bags, and on the front of each bag is the initial of a person's first name, their last name, their age, their sex, their sizes (for clothing and shoes) and two special things that they've asked for," Tindal said. "Those special things can be anything from a book to a pair of slippers to a bedspread. For many of them, it's like writing a letter to Santa, and we like to make sure they get what they ask for because they expect it."

In addition, "there are instructions in each bag that include a list of toiletries if you want buy them," Tindal said. "Some bags come back to us with a massive amount of stuff in them. But some bags come back with just the wish list items in them, which is perfectly fine because we have extras so that everybody gets an equal amount of toiletries, socks, underwear and things like that."

The gift bags can be picked up at Mental Health America of Aiken County's office at 233 Pendleton Street N.W. from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. They should be returned by 4 p.m.Dec. 5.

Another way to pitch in is to make a monetary donation, which will be tax-deductible. The money will be used to purchase items for gift bags or ingredients needed to make the event's meal.

Monetary donations can be mailed to P.O. Box 1074, Aiken, SC 29802.

For more information, call 803-641-4164, email to mhaaiken@gmail.com or visit www.mha-aiken.org.

Dede Biles is a general assignment reporter for the Aiken Standard and has been with the newspaper since January 2013. A native of Concord, N.C., she graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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