Newton resident Renae Heikkila and her family finished last year’s Christmas scrubbing tables and washing dishes. They had just helped prepare a big meal with all the trimmings, and their guests were humble, cleaning right alongside them.

Afterward, Heikkila returned her family to their home in Newton, but some of their guests did not have a home to return to. The Jasper County family gave up their Christmas to help feed and clothe the homeless at a shelter in Des Moines, but this holiday, the Heikkilas want to keep the effort closer to home.

“We learned a whole new definition for ‘I need something,’” Heikkila said. “We asked ourselves, ‘Do we want to do that again?’ And we decided we wanted our efforts to stay in Newton and Jasper County.”