Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2011, was distribution day for 18 area food pantries. The Montcalm Challenge Food Drive gave away the 23,864 food items collected during this fall’s drive, which also raised nearly $25,000.

A local teacher will appear in an upcoming episode of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” along with 65 of his professional Santa colleagues. Ted Flynn is a social studies teacher and athletic director at Grattan Academy for most of the year. He dabbles as a professional Santa in winter.

The Greenville Optimist Club has an annual fund that helps support local organizations to provide Christmas dinner to those in need. The Samaritan Fund was established for the Optimist Club to collect money from Thanksgiving to Christmas and distribute it to local organizations, such as food pantries, that help provide the dinners. The Optimist Club has collected about $3,000 per year and members hope to beat that amount this year.

The National 4-H Council is partnering up with local Tractor Supply Co. (TSC) stores to benefit local communities where TSC stores are located.