It takes not just a village to save Christmas for local Anchor Bay families in need, but partnerships encompassing the entire Anchor Bay area.

Local partners from across the community are joining forces to create the Christmas for Anchor Bay event, set for Dec. 10. Partnering churches and organizations are now collecting items. The invitation-only event will take place Dec. 10 for families in need from the Anchor Bay School District.

“Our church is taking care of the food specifically, and so how it works is different organizations do their part,” said Rev. Lerrin Wentworth of Watermark Church in Chesterfield Township.

Pay It Forward Community Foundation Founder Christina Pittinato said the local partnerships for the Christmas event started last year, when she reached out to Wentworth about Pay It Forward and Watermark Church in Chesterfield Township working together to provide Christmas help to local families. include other local churches and organizations.

Wentworth said the partnerships to benefit Anchor Bay School District students and families helped to reach more families at one time.

“Last year we combined all of our efforts into one day to meet more needs and get more people involved,” Wentworth said.

Pay It Forward Community Foundation is a New Baltimore- and online-based nonprofit organization founded in 2015 to support the necessities of children in need throughout Macomb and St. Clair counties. This generally includes assistance with food, clothing, supplies and educational items. said the organization primarily works through local schools and school districts, receiving referrals through school social workers.

“People want to help, they just don’t know how. That is basically why I started this,” Pittinato said.

Organizations involved in collections for this year’s Christmas for Anchor Bay include:

• Lighthouse Bible Church: Blankets for middle and high school aged youth.

• Grace United Methodist Church: Body care gift sets for middle and high school aged youth

• Watermark Church: Non-perishable food, with a goal of 50 to 60 items. Wentworth said the church’s congregation has been supplying these items.

• Gateway Church: Wrapping supplies.

• Pay If Forward Community Foundation: Toys for ages 4 to 12. Pittinato said Pay It Forward will accept donations from the community via Amazon at amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/WEC1P8PQPCCM?ref_=wl_share. All items will be shipped directly to Pay It Forward.

• Mega Savings with Megan McKenna: Toys for ages 4 to 12.

• Grace Counseling: Socks.

• Anchor Bay Community Outreach: Prizes for games and lunch for attendees.

• Immaculate Conception Church and School: Non-perishable food.

• Anchor Bay School District buildings collecting different items at each building, including things such as new student books, games, pajamas, winter items such as gloves, socks and toys.

Pittinato said Anchor Bay School District building principals, staff and social workers select the children and families who could best benefit from the program. Invitations are issued accordingly, and interested families can register.

The collections began in late October and will end Nov. 27.

The Christmas for Anchor Bay event will take place at an Anchor Bay School District building. At the event, children will be able to participate in a variety of activities such as Santa visits and cookie decorating, while their families select gifts, games, books and winter gear from tables based on age appropriateness.

“When they walk into registration, the kids will go in one area for cookies, Santa, crafts, face painting. Anchor Bay literacy teachers will be there to provide books to students, and then parents go into another area completely separate from the kids. They get shoppers to guide them,” Pittinato said.

The invited families will receive lunch, food to take home, and their selected gift items, already wrapped by volunteers. In its November newsletter, Watermark Church included a request for volunteers to help with many different types of jobs at the Christmas event in December.

For more information about Christmas for Anchor Bay, visit facebook.com/groups/904487249602197.

Nicole Tuttle is a freelance reporter for MediaNews Group.