With snow on the ground and a chill in the air, the makings of a wonderful Christmas Day are here. Tucked into warm houses throughout Albert Lea and Freeborn County, many families will begin today with gift giving and family meals.

For some, though, the holiday comes in the midst of tough times.

Many organizations around town are well aware of these needs and are active in helping those less fortunate to have a better holiday than they might otherwise.

&uot;It’s a wonderful experience to help the families that need it,&uot; said Captain Margerett Miles of the Albert Lea Salvation Army.

The Salvation Army, in the weeks before Christmas, gave out gift packages for families who might otherwise not afford the gifts. For each child there are three large gifts along with stocking stuffers in each package.

The basement of The Salvation Army community center looks like a toy warehouse. Volunteers work tirelessly wrapping gifts and putting them into boxes for each family.

At the door, Bill Bryson of Alden hands the gift boxes to each family as they are called. They are the working poor, the jobless, the homeless. Some come with children, others without.

&uot;It is a humbling experience for many,&uot; said Robin Gudal, of The Rock, a Christian community center, which also gives gifts for families at Christmas.

Gudal’s office is filled with gifts for families in need as well. Collaborating with the Albert Lea United Way, the Rock puts together packages and delivers them to families.

The Rock also asked for gift certificates for food and gas. Gudal said that while there are some who cannot afford Christmas, there are others who simply need food.

The dire situations that confront people, Gudal says, happen for many reasons. She told a story about a family, who lives in a different county, that had a $200,000 house and everything they needed. The floor fell out for the family and now they cannot afford a Christmas.

&uot;It can happen to anyone,&uot; she said.

Some others are in a constant struggle.

In these past few months, as each organization readied for the holiday season, the generosity of the Albert Lea and Freeborn County communities became largely apparent to both Gudal and Miles. They said they were amazed at the turnout of volunteers and gifts from the area.

&uot;It is just amazing to think, in such hard economic times, that people are so willing to give,&uot; Gudal said. &uot;We get the pleasure of giving those gifts to the families. Most of them are so overjoyed that they do not know what to say. That somebody cares enough to give when times are tight, means more than anything to them.&uot;