The Anchor Bay Community Giving Tree was created in 1999 when the
Anchor Bay Community Giving Tree Committee partnered with a local
Macomb County Girl Scout Troop, along with the New Baltimore Police
Department to provide a happy holiday for local children from needy
families.
The Community Giving Tree committee, New Baltimore Police Department
and the Girl Scouts, engaged local schools, fire departments and churches
to locate eligible families and identify needs. With enthusiastic support from
local residents and businesses, this program grew rapidly to serve an
increasing number of local families and communities.
In the first twelve years of the program, our Community Giving Tree
supported over 648 local families and over 1700 local children, making sure
that no child went without warm clothing, food and a Christmas celebration.
With the continued support of local businesses, community leaders, churches
volunteers, and residents, the Anchor Bay Giving Tree continues to grow to
meet the increasing needs of our community.
100% of all fundraising efforts and donations to the Anchor Bay Community Giving Tree go directly to the
families who are served through this program. We are able to make this commitment thanks to the
generous contributions of time and talent provided by our volunteers, community partners and your
generous sponsorship. Each year we provide local families with, much needed food for Thanksgiving and
Christmas, as well as school clothing, winter coats, boots, hats & gloves, and a few toys to play with.
How does the program work? Family names are submitted to our program through recommendations of
local schools, churches, fire and police departments. The family need is assessed, verified and registered
through the New Baltimore Police Department, where they determine each child in the families “Wish List”
of 3 needs and 3 wants. The Giving Tree Committee then creates gift tags (listing a requested gift and the
child’s age) from the information on the Wish Lists. Or adopts the family to one of our generous supporters
who accepts a whole family and their needs for the holidays. The gift tags are distributed for display on
Giving Trees throughout the community. Residents take tags from our trees, purchase and wrap the gift,
then return the gifts to us with the gift tags attached. Any family needs that were not met, the committee
purchases with the communities generous donations.