Over $17,000 of Christmas Cheer Fund’s $100K goal has been raised so far (VIDEO)

MASON CITY — More than $17,000 has been raised so far for the Christmas Cheer Fund. The program is back after a year off to help those who are struggling financially during the holiday season.

Board member Cori Frein says they are hopeful to reach their goal of $100,000 as applications are starting to come in.   “Just in contrast, with the amount of applications we have received for assistance, we are totalling $47,000 in need, so a little bit of a discrepancy.”

Many people in the past have made Cheer Fund donations to honor loved ones and Frein says they are seeing that tradition continue this year. “I think there are many folks that do it as a tradition, a running tradition. The Cheer Fund has been around since 1927, so it’s something that they related Christmas to, being able to celebrate the memory of their loved one. We do see a lot of donations given in memory of loved ones which is really great.”

People can send in their donations to: Christmas Cheer Fund, PO Box 28, Mason City with a zip code of 50402.

Christmas Cheer Fund website 

Christmas Cheer Fund Facebook page