Holiday Cheer Program in Need of Help

The county is asking other agencies to step in, but even the larger charities are worried about not having enough resources to help.

Wake County Human Services has run the Holiday Cheer program for more than 30 years. The program connects donors with people in need during the holiday season. Last year, they served 3,000 people.

“We don't want anyone to fall through the cracks and not get served,” said Regina Petteway,  director of community initiatives for Wake County Human Services.

Petteway said the program has become too big for the county to handle on its own.

"We still have the same staff of two people to do this that we had many years ago,” she said.

So the county is asking for local charities, like the Salvation Army, to take over.

"Our hope is that with working with the other organizations and reaching out to the community that we can all stretch a little bit more to serve more children than usual,” said Christine Shaw, director of social ministries for the Salvation Army.

Officials with Wake County Human Services plan to meet with non-profit groups and church leaders on Thursday to discuss a plan to save the Holiday Cheer program.