The Evangelical Church fellowship hall was a busy place Saturday, Dec. 15, as young shoppers and their families converged for the 4th annual Kids Free Christmas Store.
Founder and director Nancy Patton said the event was a success.
“We gave out 770 gifts with 147 shoppers age 12 and under,” Patton said. “This is the only event in Sweet Home where kids shop for their families, not themselves, and all for free.”
Young shoppers checked in with their families, were assigned a Personal Shopper, and were then allowed to go from table to table, picking items to give family members.
“We discourage any adult involvement at this point,” Patton said. “It takes a while for the kids to shop, but it’s a kid in a store and they are allowed to make their own decision.
Children’s selections were then wrapped or bagged by volunteers – and some parents who jumped in to help, she said.
“We had 20 volunteers providing service.”
She quoted a volunteer as telling her that “It was fun and a very rewarding time. The kids were so sweet and thankful, it brought tears to my eyes.”
Another told her that “seeing kids get excited about getting their dad some popcorn or their sister a hairbrush and being genuinely happy about it – I just wanted to stop and hug all of them,” Patton said.