Document text
Big family wants to dine together Light One Candle EDITOR'S NOTE : "Light One Candle" is an annual Mail Tribune feature that focuses on a single need of a person, family or agency during the holiday season. For information, call 776-4465 or e-mail [email protected] Heaven knows there's no shortage of needs for one Medford mother of eight children. The 36-year-old woman has a husband who has struggled for four years with encephalitis, a rare and serious inflammation of the brain. Her kids are ages 2 to 15, with all of the demands for food and clothes and toys and supplies that any kids require. This mom could ask for any number of things, says Mick Johnson, social service manager at the Salvation Army in Medford. But what she says she really needs are dining utensils. "She wants some spoons and forks," Johnson says. "She says she doesn't want to be greedy." The woman stays home to care for the children and for her 41-year-old husband, whose disease prevents him from working. There was a time when she had enough tableware to allow the whole family to eat at one time, but some knives and forks and spoons have disappeared. So Johnson is seeking donations of a set or two of matched utensils to brighten this family's holidays and beyond. "These are the kind of people I like to work with," Johnson says. "They're nice to work with because they're not asking for everything." Donations can be delivered to the Salvation Army offices at 922 N. Central Ave. in Medford. Any extra cutlery will be gratefully accepted for other less-fortunate families. For details about the Salvation Army, call Johnson at 772-8149. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA