Christmas for All goal: $185K

After four years of failing to meet goal, the 2015 Press Christmas for All holiday fundraising campaign came right down to the wire.

Here’s how it was reported in the Dec. 25 Coeur d’Alene Press:

Press Christmas for All, with its ambitious goal of $170,000 tantalizingly close, still had not reached the magic number by mid-morning Thursday [Christmas Eve]. Then the phone rang.

It was Anonymous in Athol making a final check on the campaign’s status. When informed that it was short of goal by just a few hundred dollars, A in A laughed — actually, it sounded a lot like “Ho, ho, ho!” — and said he and his wife weren’t quite done. He then arranged for an additional $5,000 contribution, raising his gift for this campaign to $20,000 and pushing Press Christmas for All well past its $170,000 goal.

In fact, because of a pile of other generous gifts that came in Christmas Eve, Press Christmas for All’s 30th annual campaign brought in $179,391, shattering the goal and pushing volunteers to aim higher.

This year’s goal is $185,000. The bottom line simply is this: The more money we raise together, the better Christmas we can provide together for thousands of struggling Kootenai County families.

In Coeur d’Alene alone, 43 percent of families have their noses just above the poverty line. The statistic is only slightly better for the county as a whole. What that means is, we have a great many working poor in our community, and these are the people who benefit most from your Press Christmas for All generosity.

Please pitch in what you can afford. Every gift is greatly appreciated. Donations are tax deductible, and every single penny raised goes to Kootenai County residents who need your help to brighten their holiday or even make any kind of celebration possible. Mail your check to Press Christmas for All, 215 Second St., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814, or go to cdapress.com and do so electronically. We also have staff standing by to accept your credit card gift by phone: (208) 664-8176.