The ELF Fund is a little bit different this year – but remains
committed to its original mission of guaranteeing a Christmas for
Bradford’s needy.

That was the message Thursday at the kick off of the 23rd annual
Era’s Less Fortunate Fund held at a breakfast meeting at the DeSoto
Holiday House.

“We want to make sure no child or senior awaits Christmas
without gifts,” said senior co-chairman Christine Minich.

And junior co-chairman Dusti Pantuso added the numbers: 128
girls, 160 boys, 134 families, and 86 senior citizens. All told,
that number of applicants represent some $11,000 in gifts alone,
she said.

Since its inception, the ELF Fund has been a joint venture of
The Bradford Era and the Salvation Army, providing toys and
clothing for children, gifts for senior citizens and food for
families in need.

While the two efforts continue in the community, they will be
split – the Army primarily will collect and distribute food baskets
while the ELF Fund will focus on gifts for children and the
elderly.

Art Steinhauer, chairman of the ELF board of directors,
explained that the Salvation Army’s need to adhere to new, strict
confidentiality guidelines meant information could not be shared
between the two programs.

As a result, he said, the efforts had to be divided into two
separate but complementary parts.

The new direction, he added, has allowed the ELF Fund to move
into a new program which has focused on home-bound senior citizens
– an area of great need.

Martha Dibble, director of Project Care, elaborated: The program
started in 2001 as a three-county effort to reach senior citizens
isolated in their homes. Now, however, the project is for McKean
County only and attempts to provide financial, emotional and
physical support to homebound seniors.

“We look at a person as a whole, and try to help them out,” she
said.

The program, however, has seen funding cuts. And while Bradford
Regional Medical Center has stepped in to help with some aspects of
the outreach, there is still a great need for help with its “crisis
funding.”

A Department of Public Welfare grant had provided money to help
maintain people in their homes with funds for medicine, food,
clothing and medical equipment and even fuel bills – but that has
been eliminated. It was this program which had been used to see
that seniors had at least some assistance at Christmas.

That’s where the ELF Fund came in, she said – “to fill that gap”
for many isolated seniors who have virtually no support system.
Some, she said, live in homes without such necessities as indoor
plumbing or electricity.

“It will mean a lot” to these seniors, she said of the ELF
Fund’s participation.

Other facets of the ELF program announced Thursday:

* Harrijane Hannon reported the annual bus trip of the holiday
lights and Christmas party for senior citizens has been scheduled
for Dec. 17 at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, starting
at 6 p.m.

* Francie Ambuske invited the community to the Festival of Trees
to be held at 6 p.m. Nov. 16 at the Bradford Club, where dozens of
holiday items will be auctioned off to raise money for the ELF
Fund.

* Marsha Shannon reported 387 gifts tags had been prepared for
distribution. Gifts may be dropped off at ELF headquarters at the
Office of Economic and Community Development, Russell Boulevard,
between Nov. 27 and Dec. 6.