Christmas time can be difficult for any family that’s struggling, and for many this year has presented more challenges than most. But in Bonner County, fewer families will go without a Christmas thanks to their community’s donations, and the work of one local woman.

For Christine Curless, Thanksgiving had always been her “thing.” For the past seven years she would help out one to three families who were struggling.

But this year, things took a turn. Instead of helping one, or three, or even five families, Curless, along with some residents who volunteered themselves, helped 23 families with boxes of Thanksgiving dinners.

Then more requests started coming in. People asked if she could do Christmas, too, and Curless said she couldn’t say no — so she started organizing, calling on help from her community to help provide food, presents and children’s clothing to families.

Since then, Curless said she’s received over $1,000 and about $500 worth of food, she said.

After returning home from a weekend visit, Curless said immediately started getting contacted for donations, including one for $600.

“I wasn’t even home five minutes,” she said. “I assumed this man was going to bring between $25 to $100, that’s what I had been getting.”

That man had read Curless’s story, published on Dec. 16, and told her he had been moved to tears, she said. The next day, he told her, he got an unexpected Christmas bonus and immediately knew how he wanted to spend it.

“I’m overwhelmed, in a good way,” she said.

Curless now has 41 families on her list, she said, with 178 people total and 59 children. As of Monday, her couch and kitchen table were overflowing with donations.

“This spread beyong my imagination,” she said. “[When people heard], my phone blew up.”

Each child, she said, will be receiving clothing bought with the donations she received. Some children are also getting presents. Some asked for specific toys, one family asked for baby wipes and diapers instead of toys, and some children asked for basics like snow boots, hair brushes and deodorant.

Over a dozen residents reached out, she said, including several who donated food or volunteered to help deliver the the boxes of food and gifts in the days leading up to Christmas.

Monica Gunter, a local woman with six grandchildren, two of whom raise pigs for 4-H club, donated a roughly 40-pound box of pork. She said she connected with Curless over Facebook, and wanted to set a good example for her grandchildren.

“We grow our own pork,” she said, “[and] I’m always look for something to help with.”

In addition to Gunter and the numerous other volunteers, Curless said she wanted to thank Gail Swan, and volunteer delivery drivers Penny Barton, Lisa Lyons and Kyle and Jess McAvoy.

“If I hadn’t gotten those donations I couldn’t have done this,” Curless said. “I’m blessed that I live here.”