A big donation by a major United States corporation is giving joy to children in this area.
Relief Share, a local charity, received about 48,000 Olaf characters from the Walt Disney Co. that made their way to those who work with children. Olaf is a snowman, a fictional character, from the 2013 animated film Frozen, produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Thanks to the volunteer efforts of many area residents, box after box of the character were stashed in a warehouse at Licking and distributed to the organizations. Most recently, 2,784 of them made their way to Springfield to the Salvation Army.
“We assisted 1,695 children — all were given an Olaf for Christmas morning,” said Jeff Smith, social services director for the Salvation Army in Springfield. Those left will be used in other programs for children through 2018. “We were grateful for those to use in our Christmas Toy Shop,” he said.
Others have popped up at our locations. They were on display in a children’s section recently when the Cabool branch of the Texas County Library held an open house.
Carol Green, president of Relief Share, said area residents pitched in to provide transportation and help with distribution.
The organizations range from Texas County Memorial Hospital and Clinics to Texas County Food Pantry to Parents As Teachers and Division of Family Services.
Persons who would like to obtain Olaf characters can contact Green at info@ReliefShare.org.