Tis the season to "Open Your Heart"

Imagine trying to put together $50,000 to help needy families in Burleigh County in one month. It's a big ticket to fill but that is what the Open Your Heart campaign plans to do.

"It's been very gratifying," volunteer Diane Haan said of her past experiences with the campaign.

The gratifying experiences that come with Open Your Heat go back a long way. Open Your Heart was started by World War I veterans from the Lloyd Spetz American Legion Post 1 in December of 1930.

It helps about 250 families a year by delivering food baskets and giving families an allowance to purchase clothes for their children.

The families are picked by a committee made up of representatives from public and private social service agencies.

The campaign begins with donations of non-perishable food items from the local schools. Then on Dec. 8 KFYR 550 will hold its 22nd annual broadcast to help raise funds for Open Your Heart. The broadcast lasts for 12 hours but has been very successful in the past.

"Last year they (KFYR) raised just over $26,000 for us," Judge Robert Wefald, the chairman of the campaign, said.

That same morning the families go clothes shopping at the south Wal-Mart and Target. Just about $35,000 go toward clothes for the children.

Then on Dec. 21, the non-perishable food donations are brought to the Civic Center and sorted into piles. Then volunteers go down the line and fill each basket according to the particular family's needs. On Dec. 22 the baskets are loaded into volunteers' cars and delivered.

Haan remembers a time when there wasn't nearly as neat and orderly of a system.

"There was a time when we'd go early in the morning and it would take most of the day," Haan said.

But time has brought more organization and many more volunteers.

"We have lots of individuals and lots of small groups and Girl Scout troops and Brownie troops that all show up and help out. We have lots of people of all different ages. It's a very satisfying event," Wefald said.

All said and done the Civic Center gets cleaned up and set back to normal by 10 p.m. Dec. 22 and all the leftovers are given to Salvation Army.

Anyone wanting to help, there will be a donation box in the middle of the Kirkwood Mall on Dec. 8 for non-perishable food donations. Donations also can be dropped off at the American Legion office, 1326 E. Broadway or monetary donations can be sent to: Open Your Heart, PO Box 753, Bismarck, ND 58502.

(James Ziegler is a student as Bismarck State College. He can be reached at 701-302-0822)