The Christmas spirit and the annual surge of donations it brings helped make the 2000 holiday season a success for local charities.

Hundreds of needy families in the Miss-Lou were served by charitable organizations with gifts of food, clothing, toys and household items, but the work is far from over.

&uot;Christmas is definitely our busiest time,&uot; said Sister Claire Hogan of Catholic Charities. &uot;But throughout the year, we’re busy every day – 365 days a year.&uot;

Hogan said Catholic Charities works closely with other groups, including Cathedral School students, the Salvation Army, Junior Auxiliary, the Santa Claus Committee and United Way.

Many times, Catholic Charities provides other organizations with the names of needy individuals and coordinates between the groups to prevent services from being unnecessarily duplicated.

&uot;So, you can imagine how many families come through Catholic Charities,&uot; Hogan said.

Hogan said the &uot;sentimental&uot; quality of the holidays always prompts people to think of charity.

&uot;I would suspect those people (who give during the holidays) are charitable all year long and just give extra at Christmas time,&uot; she said.

Shirley Buckley, also with Catholic Charities, said local residents have proven themselves to be generous, but she wonders if people truly understand how much their help is needed.

&uot;I don’t think people really know the needs that exist in this area. I know I didn’t until I started working here,&uot; she said.

&uot;You think about it being far off, but it’s not. It’s right here.&uot;

Orilla Joseph, Associated Charities, also helped to relieve local need by distributing clothing, food and household goods throughout the area.

&uot;But we could have done a lot more if we’d had a building,&uot; she said.

Through the years, Associated Charities has moved its offices several times. Most recently, it was headquartered at Carpenter School No. 1, but a leaking roof and renovations forced the organization into Joseph’s home over the summer.

Without a building for storage, the charity is only able to accept donations that can be given away immediately.

Despite the setback, Joseph said Associated Charities was still able to make Christmas a memorable one for many families, but her wish for the new year is a new location.

The Guardian Shelter, which assists abused women and children, also enjoyed Christmas donations.

Linda Blanton, head cook, said several people stopped by Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with gifts of food, clothing and toys.

&uot;They got some nice gifts, real nice,&uot; she said. &uot;They really had a good Christmas.&uot;

Four-legged friends at the Natchez Adams Humane Society were also given a merry Christmas as several puppies and kittens found new homes for the holidays, Nezzie Merritt said.

But because of rampant breeding, Merritt said all of the kennels at the humane society were once again full Tuesday.

&uot;We maybe have one or two kennels empty right now,&uot; she said. &uot;We’ll have to pull some cages out into the floor if some more come in.&uot;

Merritt also expects more animals to be turned into the shelter after people realize their Christmas puppies and kittens grow up into big dogs and cats.