Kids get chance to give on Christmas
Kids get chance to give on Christmas
It's often said that the true meaning of Christmas is in giving.
And while Christmas charities work hard to ensure there's a gift under the tree for every child, the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Christmas Hamper Society wants that giving to go both ways.
"Kids from financially disadvantaged families don't always get the real meaning of Christmas," says society co-chair Lorraine Bates. "Christmas is about giving, and they have nothing to give." dell inspiron E1705 battery.
That's why the Christmas Hamper Society launched the Kids Only Gift Shoppe, a one-day event where children can choose a free gift for their mother, father, grandparent or caregiver.
Smiling volunteers help the eager kids choose, wrap and tag the present before ushering them back to their waiting parents.
"When the kids leave, they're just beaming from ear to ear because they have a wrapped gift to put under the tree for mom and dad," Bates says.
"That day is a real tearjerker."
The Dec. 11 event marks the ninth year for the Kids Shoppe, which last year provided 500 children with grown-up gifts to give. This year kids will also get a free photo with Santa, a treat that may not be in the budget for much of the society's clientele.
The society appeals to adults to dig through their closets and look for gifts they're maybe not using.
"Cough em up, we tell them," Bates laughs.
While finding gifts for women is rarely a challenge, the society is always short on presents for adult men. (Buy battery for gifts: dell GP952 battery)
Funds raised by readers of The Province and other donors to the Empty Stocking Fund support this and 26 other Christmas bureaus, community service centres and Salvation Army offices in British Columbia.
Families who register at the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows branch which is 100 per cent volunteer, Bates boasts receive a wish list for each child. If there's nothing in the society's inventory to fill that list, dedicated shoppers hit the stores.
It's a year-round affair. Armed with donations, volunteers snatch up gifts at deep discounts during post-Christmas sales, sometimes doubling their buying power and bolstering the society's supply of gifts for both adults and children.
"I think we have the ability to make a difference to a child, and then make a difference to the whole way they deal with life after that," says Bates.
For the volunteers, their gift comes after Christmas, when hand-made thank-you cards from children pour in to the society. (Gifts: SONY VGP-BPS10 battery)
"I get goosebumps every year," says Bates.
Is your business or organization raising money for the Empty Stocking Fund?
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