Sean C. Morgan
The Sweet Home Police Department and the Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District are collecting names for their sharing trees.
Families of needy children submit their children’s names to be placed on tags and attached to the trees. Donors collect names from the tree and shop for gifts. The tags list things the children want. The presents are returned and given to the children.
At the Fire Hall, SHFAD has collected more than 300 children’s names so far, said organizer Shannon Strubhar.
The district’s Sharing Tree serves children 12 and younger.
The district will continue collecting names through the end of the week, said Julie Mayfield, administrative assistant, so she expects another 50 to 100 names.
Usually, the tree has 400 to 450 names, Strubhar said
Donors have already started picking up tags from the tree, so far fewer than 10, Mayfield said. The district still has a lot more names to take.
Mayfield said donors often adopt entire families, and organizers can find families that fit whatever criteria a donor prefers, whether it’s for all boys or all girls or certain ages, for example.
Presents are due by Dec. 10 at the Fire Hall, 1099 Long St.
Presents will be distributed later at the Fire Hall.
For more information, call the district at (541) 367-5882.
The Police Department Sharing Tree, for children 13 and older, just opened up for applications from families for children. Applications to be on the tree are due by Monday, Nov. 30.
The Sharing Tree usually carries 75 to 80 names, said Community Services Officer Gina Riley. Donors may begin picking up those names on Wednesday, Nov. 25.
The deadline to return presents is Dec. 11, she said, and the gifts will be distributed on Dec. 18 by Blue Santa.
Coming up, the Police Department will host its first Shop With A Cop locally, at Bi-Mart, on Dec. 12, Riley said. In the past, SHPD has joined Lebanon Police Department and Linn County Sheriff’s Office at Wal-Mart in Lebanon.
During Shop With a Cop, police officers take children shopping for Christmas presents. Many of those children use the cash to buy gifts for their family members.
Costs Sharing Tree and Shop With a Cop are covered by the Steakout, a fund-raising event recently hosted by The Point Restaurant.
Police officers and firefighters also help pay for Sharing Tree gifts.
For more information about the SHPD Sharing Tree, call (541) 367-5181 or stop by the Police Department, 1950 Main St.