History of the Canton Goodfellows

In the 1940’s Edward Hauk and Robert Waldecker, Canton residents who were volunteers with the Plymouth Goodfellows, decided to form the Canton Goodfellows. In the early years, there was no paper sale. The two men went door-to-door asking for donations to help the needy.

In 1954 a paper was established and printed to be sold for donations that would support the Goodfellows program and fulfill our goal of “NO CANTON CHILD WITHOUT A CHRISTMAS”.

In the early days there were only a few families in need; however, the program has grown dramatically in recent years. in 1985, assistance was provided to 42 families.  In 2006, there were 550 children in 275 families and 25 seniors who were recipients of Goodfellow baskets.  In 2007, we helped 657 children in 246 families and 30 senior citizens.  2008 saw us help 634 children in 207 families and 30 senior citizens.