(Skip Schulz/For the Gazette) Carol Dix (left) of Pat’s Foods in Ontonagon handed a check of $1179.00 to Peggy Norris (right) of the St. Nicholas Project.

ONTONAGON — This Monday afternoon the St. Nicholas Project of Ontonagon received a monetary gift of $2079.00.

Peggy Norris of St. Nicholas was at Pat’s Foods in Ontonagon to get a check for $1179.00.

“Pat’s Foods customers graciously gave $579.00. The owners gave $500.00 to match our customers, and our employees pitched in another $100.00,” said Carol Dix of Pat’s Foods.

The Michigan State Police post in Wakefield have also collected $900.00 that is earmarked for the St. Nicholas Project for a grand total of $2079.00.

“This money should come in very handy with the local distribution of gifts this Wednesday for the south end of Ontonagon (County) in Ewen. Distribution of gifts for the north end of Ontonagon County will be on Thursday,” said Peggy Norris of the St. Nicholas Project.

The project is a coalition of organizations, formed in 1987, to make sure that every family in Ontonagon County has food and every child has a gift for Christmas.

North end coordinators for the project are Peggy Norris and Kathy Bauer, and in south Ontonagon County, Valerie Talsma and Jenny Peters are heading things up.

Coordinators of the St. Nicholas project on the northern part of Ontonagon County is Norris and Kathy Bauer. On the south end of the county, the coordinators are Valerie Talsma and Jenny Peters.

The theme for this year’s St. Nicholas project is “Share the Joy.”

Comment from those at Monday’s donation of close to $2100 was, “many children and family will be able to share in the joy with that gift of money.”