Solicitation letters for the Mathews Ruritan Club’s Christmas Blessing Fund will be mailed in early December for this year’s fund drive, according to Charles H. “Sonny” Richardson Jr., chairman of the fund drive.
Since 1931, the Mathews Ruritan Club has sponsored this program which provides assistance for winter heating bills for Mathews County residents. Last year, 145 Mathews families were provided assistance.
Amy Ashberry has been named the honorary chairperson for the 2023 Christmas Blessing Fund. A Mathews County native, Ashberry graduated from Mathews High School and Longwood University and is currently a kindergarten teacher at Mathews Elementary School. She is the daughter of Linda Ashberry and the late Doug Ashberry.
Ashberry works year-round collecting donations and organizing the packing of shoebox gifts which are sent to children in need in over 170 countries. The shoebox gifts are filled with small toys, school supplies, hygiene items, and other gifts. Often, it is the onl...