It was an idea we were more than happy to steal.

CNS PHOTO

Gifts of the Magi was born that year as a cooperative project between The Catholic Telegraph, th archdiocesan council of St. Vincent de Paul and Catholic Charities of Southwestern Ohio. In 15 years, Gifts of the Magi has grown beyond anything we could have imagined. Families have been helped with funeral expenses, medical bills, plane tickets to viit a dying family member, household appliances, utility bills and rent or mortgage assistance to keep persons from becoming homeless.

Last year, donations by readers of The Catholic Telegraph allowed Catholic Charities to assist a record number families.

The campaign tries to use the money in ways that will allow families to bring about long-term change; Catholic Charities' staff examines whether or not this will be a one-time assistance that can make a difference in lives and uses that criteria to make ts "gifts."

Last year, several of our parishes in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati were inspired to use Gifts of the Magi cases for their Christmas giving trees, asking parishioners to donate a small portion of what each case needed. We are grateful to thes parishes for their support and encourage others without such "trees" to do the same.

Thank you to our readers, for your generosity of money and spirit. It's not hard to be moved by some of these needs, but being moved to action does require n effort, and we are grateful.

This 24-year-old single mother of twins is trying to finish college in order to better provide for her children. She relies on her car to get her to school and to take the children to doctors’ appointments, but her tires are so worn she is afraid to put the children in the car. New tires are well beyond her budget capabilities. Her only option is to quit school in order to work to save the money. $537 is needed to keep her in school till graduation.

The parents of four children under the age of eight found themselves with the loss of one income and hours cut from the other spouse’s job. A veteran, the husband is trying to return to the Army National Guard, but their already tight budget has been devastated by the loss of income. Family has assisted with one month’s rent to help the family avoid eviction, but they cannot help further. $685 is needed to keep a roof over six people’s heads this winter.

This young mother was recently abandoned — while pregnant with her fourth child — by her husband, who returned to his native country. She was employed but had to leave her job because of the pregnancy. She owes $1,230 in two months’ back rent and has received an eviction notice. St. Vincent de Paul has helped with food and clothing, and a new job has become available, but she has no way of making up the back rent.

Her 15-year-old car needs repair, but this older lady cannot afford the $304 necessary for the work since out-of-pocket costs to treat her medical problems have soared in the last year. She needs her car in order to get to dialysis treatments six times a week but is in a Catch-22 between car and medical costs.

This hardworking mother supports her disabled husband and a young daughter, but a serious illness this year left her without any income and behind two months in rent and utilities and unable to buy food. She has been assisted in all areas but the rent and faces eviction of her family unless $862 can be paid quickly.

Numerous medical issues forced the amputation of part of this man’s foot, but the necessary orthotics and special shoes he now needs to wear are beyond his means; he lost his job when surgery and recovery time were needed and now has no medical insurance. His wife has borrowed as much as she can against her retirement fund in order to pay off part of his medical bills. Their home is in foreclosure because they have not been able to pay their mortgage, already causing them much pain and stress. $625 is needed to help this man walk and be employable again.

This young single mother took unpaid medical leave from her job this fall in order to care for her daughter, ill with pneumonia. She has returned to work following her daughter’s recovery, but was not been able to pay her rent for two months. Family helped with one month, but she is still short $615.

This young father’s job was eliminated. He has taken a lesser job and also sells his blood plasma once a week in order to provide for his wife and three children. His wife is also seeking work. He will re-enter military service shortly, which will bring in a steady income, but the family is currently behind two months on their rent: $1,225.

For 20 years this woman has supported herself through a home child-care job, but rising costs in rent and utilities have placed a heavier burden on her finances. She has used up savings to pay rent and has now fallen behind in her energy bill. Several of the children she cares for have now joined less-expensive school-sponsored latchkey programs and her finances are suffering. $516 is needed to help her pay her bill to Duke Energy and keep her in business.

It will take $150 to keep this young single mother of two from being evicted, but in this economy, it’s an impossible sum. Her mother and grandmother have assisted as they can, but are struggling themselves. This young mother works fulltime in a nursing home, but her hours were reduced following an illness, and she cannot raise the extra money on her own. Three gifts of $50 are urgently needed.

Selling her car helped this older lady pay off some of the outstanding rent that piled up when she was in the hospital and off work for several weeks, but she is still behind $600. She has no family or friends that can help her and suffers from depression. Keeping her in the apartment she’s lived in for a number of years will assist her through this difficult time.

All dnations are tax-deductible. Donor lists are not sold nor provided to any other organization.