When people are in need, Bryson residents step up. This year, they not only helped each other, they helped members of the greater Leander community through donations to Hill Country Christian Ministries and Blue Santa.

In September and October, our community participated in a fall Feed It Forward food drive for Hill Country Community Ministries. We asked residents to help the non-profit fill it up its depleted food pantry with non-perishable food items. They came through with 280 items!

Hill Country Christian Ministries was founded in 1983 to provide food, clothing and other assistance for people in crisis and those living in poverty. This year, the organization saw a 62 percent increase in the number of families needing assistance. That’s more than 46,600 individuals — 35 percent of whom are children.

Recently, we collected toys for the Blue Santa program operated by the Leander Police Department in partnership with the Hill Country Christmas Bureau and the Leander Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association.

The program seeks to provide gifts for children who might otherwise not receive anything. Bryson served as a donation center. Residents also were given the option to give online through PayPal and Amazon.

We are very proud of our residents. They embody the neighborly spirit of our community. We look forward to partnering with more charities in the future, confident that our residents will step up again.