For far too many families, the holidays are anything but a joyous time.

There will be no presents under the tree. There will be no festive parties. In fact it may be a challenge just to have food on the table.

With that in mind, The Tribune is trying to do its part to make a difference by working with the many groups and organizations who are on the frontlines of trying to make the holidays a little brighter.

That includes working with the Lawrence County Young Professionals — a part of the Greater Lawrence County Area Chamber of Commerce — to keep the Secret Santa program going strong.

Those efforts include a series of articles that showcase those in need and the organizations and groups that are doing their part to help out. We plan to call the series “The Season of Caring.” The initial story will be published on Sunday, November 21 with subsequent stories to follow every Monday, Wednesday and Friday through the Christmas season.

Our goal is to share the stories of families who have been hit the hardest by the economic recession so that everyone can see beyond the unemployment and poverty statistics.

These are actual families in our communities who are suffering and need help.

To encourage participation we will change the names of those who have opened up about their hardships.

We don’t want to create any additional embarrassment for these men, women and children.

Last year, the Lawrence County Young Professionals rose to the challenge to take over the Secret Santa project after layoffs and a budget crunch forced the Department of Job and Family Services to pull the plug.

With a little more than a month to prepare, the group was able to raise enough money to help hundreds of families by providing toys, winter coats, shoes and more.

The bar has been raised this year with more people than ever in need of a helping hand.

Hopefully these stories will show how critical the need is and how even small groups can make a big impact.

If you plan to work with the Secret Santa project as a volunteer and would like to share your story, let us know.

Or if you are someone going through a hard time this Christmas and want to share your story, we would love to hear from you.

You can contact Tribune reporter Benita Heath at (740) 532-1441 ext. 19 or by e-mail at benita.heath@irontontribune.com.

Benita deserves all the credit for putting this community service project together and going above and beyond to find ways for us to make a difference on this important challenge.

Even if you don’t want to make the Secret Santa something you support, hopefully you will work with the other organizations, food pantries and clubs that are doing their part.

The goal should be that every family has at least one small reason to celebrate this holiday season.

Michael Caldwell is publisher of The Tribune. To reach him, call (740) 532-1445 ext. 24 or by e-mail at mike.caldwell@irontontribune.com.