Nov 7, 2016 By The 3 min read

Sparkle, the Christmas Star, announced last week that Herald-Standard readers and online subscribers will have an extra two weeks to donate and help those in need this holiday season.

“Instead of waiting until the end of November, we are so pleased to announce that we’ll begin our collection season on Veterans Day,” said Sparkle, the campaign’s mascot.

“We decided that with the recent increased need in the area and feedback from the Salvation Army concerning their efforts in the Connellsville area, we would kick off the event two weeks early,” according to Herald-Standard publisher Bob Pinarski.

This year, Herald-Standard employees will be handing out free newspapers to those who donate during the Veterans Parade in Uniontown on Nov. 11. Volunteers will be at Five Corners in Uniontown.

Fayette County residents will also have a chance to donate at the Uniontown Walmart between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Dec. 9. Volunteers will be located at the entrance door and handing out free newspapers to donors.

Funds collected during the Nov. 11 and Dec. 9 events will directly benefit the Salvation Army service center in Uniontown. Other funds collected by online donations or those dropped off at the building will be allocated to the Salvation Army service center in Connellsville to help those impacted by historic flooding earlier this year.

For more than 30 years, the Give-A-Christmas campaign has raised money for those in need in our readership area.

New to Sparkle’s campaign this year, however, is an expanded readership area.

“We’re also thrilled to include our new readers from the Mon Valley in this wonderful event that will help those less fortunate,” Sparkle said.

Sparkle added that the Mon Valley collection day is scheduled for Nov. 18, and while some details are still in the works, it appears that volunteers will be at the Kmart at a soon-to-be-determined time. Funds collected that day will directly assist Mon Valley residents in need.

“The Herald-Standard is incredibly excited to move forward into the Mon Valley, not only in providing top-notch news and community coverage, but in this wonderful holiday collection event,” said Pinarski. “We are excited to have more of an opportunity to help those in need this holiday season.”

“We are hopeful that with the help of Mon Valley readers, in addition to our loyal Fayette and Greene county readers, we can reach our $25,000 goal this year,” Sparkle said.

Contributions can be mailed to Give-A-Christmas, P.O. Box 1147, Uniontown, PA 15401, or brought to the Herald-Standard office in Uniontown during business hours.