Thursday is Your Last Chance to Apply for Assistance From the Rowan Christmas Bureau.

"If you are unsure if you can afford Christmas presents for your children, then you should apply for assistance now," says Suzanne Carter Storch, executive director for Rowan Information and Referral.

The Christmas Bureau will accept applications Tuesday, 9-11:45 a.m. and 1-4 p.m.; Wednesday, 9-11:45 a.m. and 1-6:30 p.m.; and Thursday, 9-11:45 a.m. and 1-4 p.m. Applications will be taken at the Paul Laurence Dunbar Center in East Spencer. A Spanish interpreter will be on hand.

Recipients can return vouchers if they later decide they don't need help after all, Storch says.

"It is better to apply and then return assistance than to wait and not apply, thinking somehow you can afford presents, and then not be able to get assistance," she says.

Only emergency situations will be considered after Dec. 3. An emergency is defined as a situation that cannot be controlled, like the loss of a job or a robbery, Storch says.

Churches, individuals and businesses who want to sponsor someone needing Christmas assistance should send a representative to the Community Sponsorship Day to be held Dec. 7, 9:30-11:30 a.m., at Rowan Public Library.

The Christmas Bureau needs more volunteers, especially for Thursday, the last day to apply for help.

"This day may be very busy," says Storch, "and there will be less of a wait with more volunteers."

Several organizations have allowed staff to volunteer, including KidLink, HeadStart, Rowan Driving School, Interstate Johnson and Lane, Catch Penny Boutique, Catawba College and the Retired Teacher's Association.

The bureau also needs sponsors to provide lunch for volunteers Wednesday and Thursday.

The Rowan Christmas Bureau is funded this year with a United Way Family Life Grant. Rowan Information and Referral, a United Way agency, has written all the grants for funding of the Christmas Bureau.

Bureau agencies include the Department of Social Services, which administers the Christmas Happiness money raised by the Salisbury Post; the Salvation Army; the Paul Laurence Dunbar Family Resource Center; the Rowan Baptist Association's Christmas Store; Salisbury Pilot Club; and the West Rowan Christmas Store.