Grinch "steals" the hearts of children at the annual Elkhart NAG bake sale and breakfast

 

[December 05, 2023] 

On Saturday, December 2, Elkhart Needs and Goals (NAG) hosted its annual bake sale fundraiser at the Elkhart Village Hall. All the proceeds of the fundraiser went to NAG and the good work it does for the Elkhart community. The Grinch of Logan County also made an appearance, taking pictures with kids and families during the event. A breakfast of Grinch donuts, hot chocolate, and other delicious snacks was offered to everyone in attendance.

NAG has been hosting this bake sale for many years, with Leslie Urish planning and organizing the Grinch event this year. Over the past several years, Urish shared, the event coinciding with the fundraiser had been Polar Express themed. This year, however, Urish decided to go with a Grinch theme, inviting the Grinch of Logan County to attend. The room the Grinch breakfast was hosted in was covered from top to bottom in Grinch decorations. Urish shared that this year’s breakfast event was the biggest one yet. Six dozen donuts were purchased, all being eaten. Over 100 cups were purchased for hot chocolate, with all of those were used as well.

At about 9 a.m., the Grinch of Logan County made his appearance. The room the Grinch was in was absolutely packed with people trying to not only get food, but also get a picture with the Grinch. Many kids were excited to take their picture with the Grinch, some coming back over several times to say hi. Most of those who were a bit more reluctant were won over by the present box of candy the Grinch offered. The Grinch was more than happy to offer these treats, proving that his heart had indeed grown three sizes.

For those unaware, Amber and Kristin Landers of Lincoln are the ones who run the Grinch of Logan County Facebook page. They started this a few years back after their sister Ashley passed away. The Grinch was Ashley’s favorite Christmas character, and they felt dressing up as the Grinch at events in the county was a great way to honor their sister’s memory. While Kristin is usually the one who dresses up as the Grinch, they ended up getting double booked that day. This was not an issue, as Amber shared that they had purchased a second Grinch costume this year. The only problem was finding someone to wear the costume.

Luckily, Lincoln local Cole Hall was more than happy to oblige. Hall, a Lincoln Junior High School drama club member, jumped at the chance, perfectly portraying the character. All proceeds that the Lander sisters make go to a different charity each year. This year, all of their proceeds are going to St. Jude Children's Hospital. Amber also shared that they make house calls to parties at peoples’ homes. If you are interested in booking the Grinch for a party you are hosting, you can get pricing and scheduling information by messaging the Grinch of Logan County on their Facebook page here.

Lois Olson, president of NAG, shared with LDN some of the great work their bake sale proceeds go toward. NAG has provided and pays for Life Alert systems for some of the elderly members of the Elkhart community. Currently, Olson shared, there are about four or five lifelines in use. Olson also shared information about the park they helped refurbish on Governor Oglesby Street. While the Village of Elkhart did the work, NAG funded it through their fundraising efforts as well as a few grants they were able to secure. Olson also shared that NAG has a board of fifteen members, but that really everyone is a member of NAG.

[Matt Boutcher]