SANDPOINT — "Come in."

It was those words that began a lifelong bond between Rob and Dianne Parsons and Ronnie Lockwood.

The friendship began on a fateful December night in 1975 when Lockwood knocked on the couple's door, a bin bag with all his belongings in his right hand and a frozen chicken in his left arm. Rob Parsons vaguely recognized him from someone he would occasionally see at Sunday school and told to be kind to because he was "a bit different," according to a BBC story.

The couple said they felt compelled to take Ronnie, who was autistic, under their wing. They cooked the chicken while Lockwood bathed and invited him to stay for Christmas. At least that was the plan.

However, that act of kindness would extend forward into the future, lasting for 45 years until Ronnie passed away from a stroke at age 75.

Until moving in with the Parsons, he'd had been without a home for 15 years , living in and around Cardiff, Wales, since he was 15 and ejected from a care center, according to the BBC story.

At first, conversations were stilted and a bit awkward. But as they grew to know each other, they became family. The couple helped Ronnie get a job, bought him the first new outfit he'd gotten since a teenager and soon, he was family.

There was only one time, the BBC reporter wrote, that the couple thought about telling Ronnie it was time for him to have his own apartment. As soon as they entered the room, he asked them if he'd done something wrong.

It was then, Diane told the reporter that she knew they couldn't ask him to leave what was now his home. A few nights later, Ronnie would ask Diane and Rob if they were "firm friends."

Yes, Rob told Ronnie, they were firm friends, to which he asked if they would be together forever.

"And there was a moment's pause, probably too long, I looked across to Di and I said 'yes Ronnie, we will be together forever,'" Rob said. "And we were."

The Lions have a similar deep bond with the community and its children. They are loved, they are "firm friends" and will be there, helping make Christmas merry forever.

With days to go, the campaign is closing in on its goal. To date, the campaign has raised $59,628.70 of the $75,000 needed to ensure every child in the community has a merry Christmas.

The Lions want to make sure every child in the community has a merry Christmas — each and every year. While Christmas has passed, the Lions are still working to hit their goal to ensure a merry Christmas is had in 2026. (Much of the funds raised each year goes toward the coming year to help the Lions make the most of each dollar donated.)

To help the Lions attempt to meet their $75,000 goal, the Toys for Tots drive is continuing through Sunday, Jan. 4.

Won’t you join them in making a donation — it doesn’t matter how big or how small — and help the Sandpoint Lions Club reach its goal for Toys for Tots?

Donations can be made at a variety of local businesses, listed below and including the Daily Bee at 310 Church St., Sandpoint, or online at bit.ly/LionsToysForTots.

Each year, the Lions team up with local businesses and residents through Toys for Tots to ensure everyone has a merry Christmas.

Funds raised go toward purchasing new toys for area children — or gift cards for older youth — who live in the Lake Pend Oreille School District.

Every Christmas, the Lions help almost 1,000 area children, from Sandpoint to Clark Fork and all points in between.

Donations may be mailed to the Sandpoint Lions Club, P.O. Box 414, Sandpoint, ID 83864, or dropped into any coin jar around town. Donations should include a note that it is for Toys for Tots and, if you wish to remain anonymous, please mention that in your note.

Donations made by check are preferred. Be sure to include a note with your check indicating that it is a Toys for Tots donation. If you wish to make an anonymous donation, please include a note.

If the donation is being made in someone’s name, be sure to also include a note.

Each day during the drive, donors’ names will be published along with the amount of their donations. A running total will be included to help the community know where the Toys for Tots campaign stands.

If you can, please consider donating. Every penny, every dollar adds up, and if we all pitch in, we can make this, once again, a successful Toys for Tots campaign. Additional donations help the Lions buy ahead and make the most of the community’s generous support.

In Sandpoint, toys and donations can be dropped off at the Bonner County Daily Bee, Mr. Sub, Columbia Bank, Connie’s Cafe, Serv-A-Burger, Mountain West Bank, Pivo Peaks Alehouse, Sandpoint Family Medicine and Urgent Care, and the Bonner County Fairgrounds.

In Sagle, toys and donations can be dropped off at Buckin’ Beans and Encoder Products (in the front lobby, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.).

In Ponderay, toys and donations can be dropped off at Alpenglow Salon, Walmart, North 40, Columbia Bank, Arnie’s, Better Together Animal Shelter, Community Resource EnVision Center, Litehouse, Elite Tire, Vinnie Todd’s Barbershop, Hoot Owl, Papa Murphy’s and Mountain West Bank.

Information: Sandpoint Lions Club, 208-263-4118, [email protected] or bit.ly/SandpointLions