THE HOLIDAY season is in full swing for a group of Mount Airy residents trying to make this Thanksgiving and Christmas a plentiful one for every member of the community.

They call themselves the Dashers and Splashers. Twice a week, at 6:15 a.m., they meet for a water aerobics class at Health Unlimited in Mount Airy. They also meet to plan holiday meal shopping and Christmas present buying for the two families they have adopted for the holiday season.

"This is the second year we've adopted a family," Elaine Dean said. "The other members of the class have been asking me when we're going to get the information on our families because they just can't wait. They're raring to go."

Mount Airy Net, a nonprofit corporation supported by more than 20 area churches, service groups and the town of Mount Airy, provides food and financial assistance to the needy. "We've had school groups, churches and individuals adopt our families," said Jean Colburn, director of Mount Airy Net. "And it's rewarding to the people adopting because they can buy the food and presents for one family. It's more personal."

Mount Airy Net offers three ways to adopt a needy family.

The family can be adopted for Thanksgiving only. The donor would provide the groceries to help make a Thanksgiving meal.

The recipients also can be adopted for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The donor would buy three presents for each child in the family and, if possible, one present for each adult member, in addition to providing food for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Mount Airy Net also offers the option of adopting a family for the entire year, meaning the donor would be able to help the adopted family on other occasions, such as children's birthdays.

"It's nice that we are in a position that we can give to people in need in our time of plenty because you never know when there will come a time that we might be in need ourselves," Dean said.

Last year, the Dashers and Splashers aerobics class adopted one local family.

"We bought gifts and wrapped them. We had the kids' ages and their sizes and those of the mother and father. We bought food, canned goods and nonperishables, in addition to toys and gifts and we had so much, we could have sponsored three families," Dean said.

Last year, 55 local families were adopted for Thanksgiving and 75 were adopted for Christmas. Mount Airy Net offers participants anonymity.

"Some of our adopting families are able to meet their particular family. But I hear so much 'I do need help, but I do not want my children to know about it,'" Colburn said. "We can arrange to drop off the food and presents at a particular location to guard the family's anonymity."

Last year, Dean dropped off the presents for her adopted family.

"My husband and I were loading the food and presents into the mother's car and the stuff kept coming and coming. And she just kept saying, 'Oh my, oh my,'" Dean said. "It's very rewarding."

Mount Airy Net is accepting applications for people in the community who will need help during the holiday season. Net offices, in St. James Thrift Shop, 234 S. Main St., will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow and from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday.

People who want to arrange an appointment at another time or to sponsor a family can call the office at 301-829-0472.

Santa breakfast

A Winfield Community Volunteer Fire Department tradition continues at "Breakfast with Santa" from 7 a.m. to noon Nov. 17 at the firehouse on Old Liberty Road.

"I started this 18 years ago," said Dick Baker, event chairman. "Everybody sees everybody. It's a nice atmosphere and nice food. And, it's not only good for the kids, it's good for the whole community."

Baker said families travel from Howard and Baltimore counties for the event.

The all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet includes pancakes, eggs, fried potatoes, sausage and gravy, hominy, pudding, apples, biscuits and beverages. The cost is $5.50 and $2.75 for children ages 6 to 12.

Santa Claus will greet the children. Parents are urged to take their cameras.

All the money goes toward supporting Winfield's Junior Fire Department. Last year, firefighters served nearly 900 people.

Information: 410-875-4107.

Lesa Jansen's Southwest neighborhood column appears each Friday in the Carroll County edition of The Sun.