There’s never been a year like 2020. There’s never been a better time to say thank you
Dear readers,
There’s no doubt that 2020 is a year we’ll all remember and share stories about for years to come. You’ve seen the memes and the headlines — it’s been called the “worst year ever,” a “dumpster fire” and described in many other, less family-friendly ways.
But the holiday season is a perfect time to reflect on the year’s redeeming qualities and highlights.
Seriously, they exist.
I guess that’s easy for me to say. We welcomed our second child in August, a beautiful baby boy who makes the world brighter with every smile, and lately, every giggle. Hands down, he’s the best thing about my 2020.
There have also been some powerfully uplifting stories though 2020, and those stories show who we are as a community. Just this month, a State College resident gave the struggling Centre County Toys for Tots its largest donation in decades — $15,000 to help buy gifts for kids to have under the Christmas tree. This summer, we highlighted some of the coronavirus heroes among us, from those who have made hundreds of masks for their neighbors to those who volunteer at food distribution programs that feed thousands.
As the pandemic continues to put a financial strain on local families, food insecurity has become more prevalent in our communities. As Mel Curtis, executive director of the Moshannon Valley YMCA, told the Centre Daily Times last month, feeding those in need in Centre County is the “task that keeps growing.”
This holiday season, the CDT has partnered with the Centre County United Way on a food security initiative to help that task. Your donation will go directly to the United Way partner agencies that are working to keep our neighbors fed.
Every donation makes an impact, especially during the holidays.
Time and time again, our community comes together to help each other during difficult times. We love telling those stories. Others have been tougher to tell. More than 100 of our neighbors have died from COVID-19. Those numbers never get easier to write or comprehend. We’ve brought to light outbreaks at area nursing homes and the unthinkable stress and heartache health care workers face every day. We’ve dug deep into Penn State’s reopening and its impact on the community and the catastrophic effect of the pandemic on some of our local businesses.
Your support makes it possible for us to tell all of these stories. Thank you to our subscribers — new, longtime and returning — for your commitment to local journalism. We’ve heard from so many of you this year about the coverage that’s important to you — the information you need to make decisions for your family — and it has helped our reporting.
Though 2020 did have its bright spots in Centre County, I think we’re united in a hope that 2021 will be much better. We look forward to telling stories about business recovery, about families reuniting safely in person and lessons we’ve all learned.
And we look toward 2021, we’ve launched a listening form to hear feedback on what we should focus on in the months ahead. I hope to hear from you there, or directly at jmcallister@centredaily.com or 814-231-4617.
Happy holidays!
Jessica McAllister
This story was originally published December 18, 2020 at 10:52 AM.
