Charity now in home stretch

One week to Christmas Eve - the deadline for Press Christmas for All - and a great gift is within reach.

You'll just never know who's delivering it.

That's the beautiful ribbon in which packages like this are wrapped. An anonymous caller challenged North Idaho to reach $120,000 in donations by the end of the day today. If we do it, the campaign will instantly be $10,000 richer.

Thing is, the donor - goes by "Anonymous in Athol" - wants to reach the goal of $200,000 this holiday season as much as we do. The donor understands that pushing the rest of us to $120,000 actually means we're at $130,000. And that means, with exactly one week left in the fundraising campaign, only $70,000 remains to be raised to ensure almost 10,000 needy Kootenai County residents have a very merry Christmas.

Today many of those people are receiving gift cards to Super 1 Foods and to Shopko. Between these two exceedingly generous stores, they'll be able to buy nice presents for the children and something good to eat on Christmas Day. Many of those good tidings will arrive compliments of Anonymous in Athol and other donors who have also asked that their names not be published, whether their gift was $25 or $5,000 - and we've received both of those amounts anonymously this year.

The 25th annual Press Christmas for All holiday charity is now officially in the home stretch. Won't you help see it through to a glorious finish line? Please send your check to Press Christmas for All, 201 Second St., Coeur d'Alene, ID. 83814.