This is a very special letter and we hope you'll take time to read it carefully because its contents are important to so many. Certainly, it is very different from the usual letters you receive at this time of year because we don't want the usual things like computer games, fire trucks, dolls and puppies.

You are probably wondering who we are, so we'll introduce ourselves without delay.

We are the people who brighten lives, human and animal, and in some cases we actually save them. We are men and women, Bermudian and non-Bermudian, young and not so young, black and white, and of all faiths and creeds.

We are children's and senior citizens' organisations, and the ones who work with the disadvantaged. We give succour to the orphaned, comfort to the sick, cheer to the lonely, help to the physically abused, and shelter to the battered and abandoned.

We operate the blood bank and the animal refuge, deliver meals to shut-ins, and comfort the dying.

In short, we are the helping hands of Bermuda.

All year long we do our good deeds to the best of our ability, but it is not always easy because our needs are greater than our resources. Like everyone else, when Christmas comes around we have our special wishes, and we hope that you can make them come true.

We know the list seems long, but we're sure you'll understand. As you can imagine, in these difficult financial times those requiring our assistance are growing in number, so we need more help than ever.

If you cannot bring us everything we've asked for, we would be thrilled to receive something, because help of any kind really makes a difference to the lives we touch throughout the year.

Thank you, dear Santa, and may all your Christmases be as bright as we try to make the world of others.

*** Agape House: We need warm men's pyjamas (small, medium and large) and ladies' nightgowns (medium), three pairs each of men's and ladies' slippers (call us for sizes), and warm men's and ladies' dressing gowns (three of each, size medium). Please call Hilary Soares or Karen North at 236-2345 ext. 1465.

*** Bermuda National Trust: Our wishes are three: 1. We are desperate for an intermediate size van as our present vehicle is seven-years-old. 2. We need a professional-grade wood chipper. 3. We are looking for a benefactor to "adopt'' one of our historic buildings (like beautiful, old Springfield in Somerset, or one of the buildings in St. George's) and restore it. Please call Trust president, Mrs. Patsy Phillips, at 236-6483 or 295-4510, if you can help in any way.

*** Bermuda Red Cross Blood Bank: We need more donors and more nurses. Please tell the donors giving blood doesn't hurt at all because we use a local anaesthetic to remove any discomfort. Just 30 minutes is all it takes for someone to give blood, including signing in and enjoying refreshments afterwards, while the blood can mean the difference between life and death for recipients. Please call 236-5067 or 236-2345 to make an appointment.

Nurses who are registered with the Bermuda Council of Nurses are needed to assist us in the blood bank. Our hours are: 9.30 to 11 a.m. Tuesdays, 1.30 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. Thursdays. Decide how much time you can give us, then call call 236-5067 or 236-2345 to volunteer.

*** Bermuda Society for the Blind: We need more customers to buy our goods, all of which are half price until Christmas, and what great bargains we have! Children's chairs, for example, are just $10. Shopping hours at Beacon House are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday. Our second wish is for peace and happiness for everyone in 1993.

*** Bermuda TB, Cancer & Health Association: We urgently need a fax machine to facilitate our mammography work. At present, we have to phone doctors with special reports of mammogram readings, some of which are lengthy, and a nurse has to take the details down in longhand. Then, at the end of each day we have to hand-deliver written reports to the hospital. A fax machine would be so much more efficient and save valuable time for everybody, so please call 295-7738 for delivery instructions.

*** Committee of 25 for Handicapped Children: We desperately, desperately need volunteers for our thrift shop, the Bargain Box, on Serpentine Road, which is open on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Anyone who can spare even a few hours to help us would be welcomed with open arms. Just call Mrs. Penny Powell at 292-4324 between 8 a.m. and noon with your offer.

The gift of a desk calculator would also be heaven to Mrs. Powell, who is currently struggling to do the Committee's sums with a pencil and paper. The calculator doesn't have to be new so long as it works! *** The Haven: Any of the following items would be very much appreciated in caring for our residents: a set of stainless steel pots in various sizes, a toaster oven, a two-ring hot plate, a microwave oven. Kind donors should contact supervisor Mrs. Marie Jackson at 292-0672.

*** Hope Homes: Since our home is without built-in closets, we urgently require at least four wardrobes for our residents. Christmas decorations would also be welcome. Mrs. Ellen Douglas would be very grateful to hear from you at 292-7206.

*** King Edward Hospital Extended Care Unit: We would welcome any entertainment videos (e.g. movies) people no longer want. A new VCR would be nice, but we'd happily settle for a second-hand one in good working order. Jig-saw puzzles, preferably with wooden pieces, though cardboard is acceptable, are also needed, along with colouring books and crayons for our Alzheimer's patients.

Clothing is always needed: socks, sweaters (particularly cardigan) size Large, belts and braces for the men. Sweaters (size large) for the women. Ms. Debby Byrd (tel. 236-2345 ext. 1467 or 1407) or Ms. Sandra Allen (tel. 236-2345 ext.

1377) look forward to hearing from you.

*** Lady Cubitt Compassionate Association (LCCA): We need funds to cover the extra needs of our clients at Christmastime in addition to their regular food and gift certificates for much-needed clothing. Like most charities, we are feeling the effects of the recession both in terms of donations and demands on our resources, so please make your cheques payable to the LCCA and mail them to PO Box HM64, Hamilton HMAX. Every bit helps! Lefroy House: We have two wishes: one for our residents and one for the community. For the former, we would like a blue carpet 20 x 30 feet, and for the latter we wish a harmonious working relationship throughout the community. Matron Mrs. Sharon Swan will roll out a warm welcome for the carpet giver, so please telephone 234-0525 and make her day.

*** Listen Magazine: We are looking for volunteers who know how to network in the business community to secure funding to meet the requirements of schools wishing to receive `Listen', a drug prevention magazine. The more volunteers we have, the more effective we can be in making Bermuda's youngsters aware that they can lead healthy, productive lives without drugs. To share your skills, please call Maria Davis at 295-2222.

*** Meals on Wheels: We need (custom fitted) stainless steel shelving for our storeroom, or funds towards its purchase. Donors are also needed to underwrite the cost of meals for those cannot pay themselves. One meal costs $2.50, a week's worth is $7.50, and a year's worth is $375. Whatever you can give will be appreciated. Please call the president, Miss Barbara Frith, at 236-1815 or 2366-664.

*** Paget Youth Club: We would like baseball caps (all the same colour) so our members can be recognised as such. Our footballers need uniform jerseys.

Financial assistance is always welcome, as are board games for eight to 16-year-olds. We also need projects and odd jobs to help us raise funds ourselves. Leader Mr. Gerald Fubler would be very happy to hear from you, so please telephone him at 236-7412 during normal working hours.

*** Patients' Assistance League & Service (PALS): We have two very important needs: a fax machine, and an oxygen concentrator. The latter is a marvellous device which allows converts normal air to oxygen and allows a patient to move from room to room and plug the machine in instead of being tied to an oxygen cylinder. The fax machine would greatly facilitate us in all facets of our work. Please contact us at 292-3875 if you can help.

*** Physical Abuse Centre: Our most basic need is to keep our clients warm and fed -- at all times, not just at Christmas. We urgently require blankets, sheets and pillow cases, towels and heaters, as well as stocks of non-perishable food stuffs: rice, pasta, tinned fruit, vegetables, meats. Please drop off your gifts at Balloon Age in the Recorder Building on Court Street and we will collect them.

*** Riding School for the Disabled: Our list is very short: we need funds to buy new hats and equipment for our riders. Donors should call Linda Sousa at 238-0659.

*** Senior Islanders' Club: We could certainly use some large, industrial size cooking pots. Thousands of cups of coffee are served at the Island-wide seniors' socials, so an industrial size urn (to make 50-60 cups at once) would be a real boon. And of course, we always need funds to continue our work.

Cheques should be made payable to the Senior Islanders' Club and mailed to Mr.

Fred Hassell at PO Box HM196, Hamillton HMAX. If you can help with pots and an urn, please telephone Mr. Hassell at 295-9094.

*** Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA): We urgently need towels and blankets to keep our puppies and kittens warm. Animal toys are always welcome, and of course we need plenty of pet food for cats and dogs.

Please deliver these items to our Valley Road shelter in Paget.

Finally, the only way we are going to be able to keep pace with our ever-growing work load is by owning a computer. Can anyone help us? If so, Mrs. Sue White (295-2626) would be thrilled to hear from you.

*** S.T.A.R. Our list is long, but our needs are many. Most immediately, we need Christmas meats (turkey, ham, roasting chickens) to put in our hampers. Please deliver to the Wesley Methodist Church hall on Monday, December 23 between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

We desperately need a computer to help us in our work.

Financial help is always appreciated because of the increasing demands upon our resources. Our children, for example, need bus passes, rain gear and school uniforms throughout the year. Our vehicle always needs gas and we would like to set aside funds especially for this purpose.

Soon we will be opening Winterhaven carriage house as a home for our clients, and we will need everything it takes to make a house a home: curtains, bedspreads, pictures for the walls, cutlery, crockery, pots and pans, blankets, a refrigerator, deep freeze, and so forth.

We are fast outgrowing our present location and need bigger and better office space.

Volunteers are required to befriend our folk. They should be genuinely concerned about those who are suffering and able to give unconditional love and support.

If you can fulfill any of these wishes, please call Mrs. Ruth Skinner at 292-5941.

*** Westmeath: Volunteers and seedlings are what we need most. Specifically, we would like people to play the piano to our residents. They particularly enjoy piano music when they have their tea at 2 p.m.

Since we're not on a bus route, we need drivers to take our seniors to appointments in and around Hamilton.

Our residents (and even passers-by) get great pleasure from our flower gardens. Seedlings would provide a colourful reminder of the Christmas spirit in the months ahead.

So surprise matron Jenny Gibson with your generosity by telephoning 295-2451.