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Christmas came early for some well-deserving, needy Berkeley residents. Appearing in over 750 mailboxes last week were checks from the Berkeley Holiday Fund, a 92-year-old institution that makes Scrooge look bad. The amount of each check will be modest, but it will be enough to make the holidays a bit brighter for the recipients. It will enable a grandmother to buy a present for her grandchild, a single parent to add something special to a holiday meal, a homeless man to buy a pair of shoes.  

Each year, a small committee of Berkeley residents sends out a letter asking their fellow citizens to make a contribution to the Berkeley Holiday Fund.  

The funds are then distributed in small checks to needy Berkeley citizens nominated by 24 local social service agencies, including Head Start, BOSS, the Center for Independent Living, the Senior Centers, WIC, the Salvation Army, the YMCA, and the Berkeley Health Department. 

It’s a no-strings-attached Christmas gift from generous citizens of Berkeley to citizens of Berkeley in need of some help. Everyone gets in the act, the Berkeley Holiday Fund Committee, the Mayor’s office, and the generous folks at Union Bank of California, Durant at Shattuck, who cash the checks for free.  

If you would like more information about the Berkeley Holiday Fund or would like to join in the fun, please send a check in any amount to the Berkeley Holiday Fund, P.O. Box 9779, Berkeley, 94709. 

For information , please contact Linda Williams at 526-9084 or lvwill@pacbell.net.›