LISBON – Judy Goddard of Lisbon is director of the Giving Tree Project, which provides Christmas presents to the children of families in Durham, as well as Lisbon and three other towns.

Goddard, 56, works in general assistance for the town of Brunswick. Prior to that, she worked for 20 years in Lisbon, first in the codes office and then in general assistance.

“When the GA director left I applied for the job, which is something that I envisioned doing since high school,” Goddard said.

She is also director of Lisbon Area Christian Outreach, which helps families in Lisbon, Durham and Bowdoin, and runs the Giving Tree Project. Goddard also is a volunteer for the Salvation Army.

“The joy that the Giving Tree and Thanksgiving dinners bring to others is priceless,” she said.

Giving Trees are located at the Durham Town Office and at locations in Lisbon. Families need not provide information on their incomes. They leave tags at the locations providing the ages of their children, up to age 18. People who buy the gifts leave them off at the various locations, and on Dec. 19, all the gifts are brought to the Lisbon Falls Baptist Church, where families pick them up. The deadline for gift requests at the Giving Tree locations is Dec. 1, unless it is an emergency. Deb Larrabee, who writes a column on Durham news for the Tri-Town Weekly, is in charge of the Giving Tree in Durham.

Goodard answered questions regarding the Giving Tree and her love of giving for Tri-Town Weekly.

Q: Between your job and your involvement with charities, you spend a good deal of your life doing for others. How did that all come about, and how important is doing for others?

A: I have gained a great appreciation for the blessings that I have while simultaneously developing a compassion for those less fortunate. My community has supported me through the deaths of my two daughters and by volunteering this is my way of giving back.

Q: Can you give us a little history on the Giving Tree?

A: The Giving Tree Project started 30 years ago in partnership with Catholic Charities of Maine. When Catholic Charities was no longer involved, the town of Lisbon took over the entire project. We included area towns that were covered by my Salvation Army involvement.

Q: Deb Larrabee is your “go-to” person in Durham. Can you talk about Deb’s dedication to this cause?

A: Dedication is commitment to a task or purpose, which describes Deb Larrabee. She has given so much time, energy and dedication to the Giving Tree Project. She raises money, shops, wraps gifts and any other task that needs to be accomplished. She is also a fun person to work with, always smiling.

Q: How many families, in all, does the Giving Tree serve? What is the age range?

A: We usually assist around 200 children plus or minus every year. The ages are from newborn babies to 18 years of age. Other projects have a cut-off age but our Giving Tree Project will assist to 18 as long as they are still students in high school.

Q: What do they usually ask for? Is that changing?

A: Crafts projects, Barbies, board games, trucks and books.

Q: How does this make the volunteers feel at Christmas? How many are there?

A: We usually have around 10 volunteers sometimes more. They find the project worthwhile and gratifying. To be able to see the happy smiles on the children that we are able to assist is a great way to celebrate the holidays.

“To be able to see the happy smiles on the children that we are able to assist is a great way to celebrate the holidays,” says Judy Goddard of the Giving Tree.