ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, December 21, 1995 TAG: 9512210087
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: PEARISBURG
SOURCE: CLAYTON BRADDOCK SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
The young couple smiled easily as they walked quietly into a large room of the Pearisburg Community Center, two children in tow.
They were there to paint a few of the images of Christmas - not an easy task for a family that came close to not having one.
But employees of Hoescht-Celanese and others made images of toys and ham and pumpkin pie come easier to 120 needy families in Giles and three other counties Wednesday.
They did it with $28,000 - $12,000 in donations from employees, funds from supporting companies and matching money from Celco.
It was the fourth annual Hoescht-Celanese Christmas Outreach Program, said Gary Kinder, one of the program's chairmen. And it was the biggest to date.
Giles and Pulaski counties and the West Virginia counties of Monroe and Summer are served by the program. Some special donations are made to Montgomery County.
Each family waiting at the community center received a plastic box loaded with goods donated by Wade's grocery in Pearisburg - a 10-pound ham, potatoes, bread and canned food.
Each child under 12 received a toy. Older children received shirts, dresses, shoes and other clothing.
Individuals and a number of churches threw a new Bible in each package.
The families were quiet as they stood in line, an unspoken acknowledgment, perhaps, of the struggle to accept help with things they would rather have provided for themselves.
But many were ready for the comfort and help from those providing hot chocolate, cookies and punch. It was especially easy when live-wire kids found wagons and plastic cars to play with while their mothers and dads carried food and gifts to their cars.
Teresa Carbaugh of Pearisburg didn't smile easily at first. But as she watched her son, Alan-Michael Carbaugh, jump and bounce as he talked to Santa Claus, she began to grin.
"What do you want to be when you grow up, Alan-Michael?" a stranger asked.
"An exterminator and a poisoner," was the reply. It might have been an echo of television or an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. But no, this kid just said he wanted to kill "bad spiders."
"This program is a good thing," his mother said. "I wish more organizations would look closely at what this group is doing."
These past few months haven't been easy, she said. "It's been hard on us."
The outreach program is operated by Celco volunteers, but others play a helpful role, including Winston Faust, the plant manager, and his wife, Kathy.
"It's our way of sharing a blessing," Winston Faust said. "It's also a way for our people to work together other than day-to-day work."
Kathy Faust got up at 4 a.m. Wednesday to join other volunteers in a 5 a.m. shopping trip at one of two Wal-Mart stores in Pearisburg and Bluefield.
"This is what Christmas is all about," she said. "I enjoyed doing it."
One way to measure the power of giving was by the speed at which the boxes and bags of goodies were given away.
Distribution was supposed to begin at 2 p.m., but some people came early. Out of the 120 big packets ready for distribution, only four remained by 2:15.
The images of Christmas will come easier for some people this year.
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Eric Brady. 1. Children at the Pearisburg Communityby CNBCenter were happy to see Santa Claus on Wednesday afternoon.
Employees of Hoechast=Celanese in Narrows had raised more than
$14,000, which was matched by the company for the purchase of items
for the needy at Christmas. color. 2. Kathy Faust helped organize
the event at the Pearisburg Community Center. Her husband, Winston
(right), is the plant manager at Hoechst-Celanese.