I-M donates to Tyrand Ministries

MILL CREEK -- The Inter-Mountain has provided a holiday donation for a longtime local charitable organization.

As part of a corporate program through Ogden Newspapers, The Inter-Mountain recently donated $396 to Tyrand Cooperative Ministries.

Tyrand Ministries was selected to receive the donation after going above and beyond in the work it does to support needy families in the community, not only during Christmas, but throughout the year.

"Corporate came up with the idea and we took it and ran with it," said Inter-Mountain Advertising Account Representative Sue Blankenship. "We wanted to reward an organization for the charitable work they do, and Tyrand takes care of a lot of people in Randolph County. They do a lot of good for people with several different events they hold during the holidays. People really don't realize how much they actually do."

This holiday season, Tyrand Ministries provided more Christmas baskets than it has in the past 30 years, distributing meals to 202 families in Randolph County. 

Tyrand Director Belinda Toms, who will retire at the end of the month, said the donation from The Inter-Mountain went directly to helping with the Christmas baskets.

"The money we received from The Inter-Mountain helped pay for the meat we provided in the Christmas baskets," Toms said. "The meat for the baskets this year was over $4,000, so every bit of money we received really helped us out. We really appreciate the donation from the newspaper because there's a lot of people out there hurting. We are thankful for everything we received during this holiday season."

Each basket not only contained a ham for Christmas dinner, but was also stocked with canned foods, dressing, potatoes, cookies, milk, bread and butter. The baskets were distributed three days before Christmas at several locations throughout the county.

Tyrand Ministries, which was established in 1962, also provided toys and other gifts to 59 families this Christmas. In addition, Tyrand distributed 102 food baskets to families at Thanksgiving.

Throughout the year, the organization provides food and clothing from its pantry located on the Back Road in Mill Creek.

Makayla Mayle  will take over Tyrand's director position upon Toms' retirement.

Tyrand's mission is to provide essential services to meet the emergency needs of the less fortunate individuals and families in Randolph County; to advocate for social changes which will better address the needs of the local communities; and to provide opportunities for ecumenical nurture, growth and worship activities among the participating churches.

A total of 14 Inter-Mountain advertisers helped support the donation program, including the Elkins Sewing Center, Serendipity, Performance Chevrolet, Gandy Dancer Theatre, Salon Swish, Jodie Parrack State Farm Insurance, Liggett's Supply, Roy's RV Supercenter, Bates Carpet and Furniture, Wheeler's, Davis Health System, AHF, Snowshoe Foundation and Iveagh Trust.

For more information about Tyrand Ministries, visit the organization's website at tyrandcoop.org.