Organizers of the Community Care Train have been forced to implement changes in the event this year due to constraints created by the pandemic. The annual Care Train Auction, such as the one pictured above, normally held on a Saturday, will be moved to Friday, Dec. 11, so as not to overlap the Ohio State-Michigan football game. (Journal-Tribune photo by Chad Williamson)
Event moved to Friday evening to avoid OSU-Michigan football game
The Care Train of Union County is preparing for the upcoming holiday season and like many businesses and organizations around the country, it has been forced to make some big changes this year.
Pam Sturwold, Care Train’s executive director, said the COVID-19 pandemic has posed some unique challenges for the organization which collects food and toys for families and people in need every year during the holiday season.
“The Care Train is being changed this year, starting with the auction,” Sturwold said. “We unfortunately also had to cancel our Christmas concert.”
On the second Saturday in December, the Care Train holds an auction held at McAuliffe’s Ace Hardware in Marysville. The event typically pulls in as many as 400 people throughout the course of the day, Sturwold said.
“Because of the capacity restrictions, we are going to have to limit the audience who attends the auction if we’re allowed to have people there at all,” she said. “It’s still going on, it’s just not going to be as big as it usually is.”
The organization is working to have an online component so that bidding can continue without people having to be in the building. If the online system works, Sturwold said people will be able to participate live with little delay.
“It’s really unfortunate because it’s always a great event for the community to come together and do this for people. So this gives them the opportunity to still be involved,” she said. “Maybe things will change before December and we can open it back up to more people. That’s our hope.”
The date and time of the auction has also changed.
Rather than the traditional Saturday morning, the 2020 auction will be held Friday, Dec. 11 at 6 p.m. Sturwold said the change was made for a variety of reasons but mainly so the event wouldn’t compete with the Ohio State-Michigan game on Saturday and also the evening time slot might account for fewer customers in the hardware store–an opportunity for more people to attend the auction, she said.
The annual toy drive has been changed this year as well. Rather than having families pick up collected items on-site, Care Train members will be delivering items to families.
“This year, there will be no pickup site,” Sturwold said. “We are still collecting toys and people are welcome to donate, but with all the restrictions, we can’t have people here to get them.”
Sturwold said the Care Train partners with local businesses to provide money and donations but that has been impacted as well.
“I’ve not contacted all the businesses we work with, but some businesses I have talked to are hurting and not able to participate in ways they have in the past,” she said. Additionally there will be no collection barrels this year which are usually available in businesses for donations.
In years prior, people bidding on items at the auction had the opportunity to win high-value prizes such as concert or Columbus Blue Jackets tickets, neither of which will be available this year.
Last year, the organization collected $201,410 in food vouchers that were given to 315 families, 71 disabled adults and 352 seniors. There were also 664 children who received toys.
Care Train is still accepting donations and applications for people in need as well as those interested in adopting families.
The deadline to apply for help is Oct. 30 and the application deadline to adopt families or children for donations is Nov. 2.
Additional information as well as how to get involved with the process is available at caretrain.org.
“We would love to see this year still be a success,” Sturwold said. “And although deadlines are coming up, there’s still time.”