A warehouse on Western Avenue on Saturday in Boulder looked like Santa’s workshop the day before Christmas.
Clad in elf-style hats and necklaces of Christmas lights, roughly 75 volunteers in masks rushed around a maze of tables stacked high with toys, children’s books, stuffed animals, puzzles and games. They filled a sack with the gifts before dashing outside to a parking lot full of people waiting in their cars.
The buzz was part of the annual Share-A-Gift, an annual holiday project that provides toys, books and bicycles to low-income families with children who live in the Boulder Valley School District. Space for the toy shop is donated each year. This year, it took place at a warehouse at 3511 Western Ave. in Boulder.
Stephanie Watson, the president of Share-A-Gift, said roughly 600 families were expected to cycle through the parking lot Saturday to pick up their gifts. Families would normally get to pick out their own gifts with a volunteer shopper, but the coronavirus altered the way the event was conducted this year.
This year the toy shop was run drive-thru style. For each child, every family received a new toy, bag of books in English or Spanish and a toy that helps to teach children concepts of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics, such as a kit to build slime, or art supplies and instructions on creating a geode. Share-A-Gift raised over $31,000 to purchase the gifts. New toys were also donated by people in Boulder County.
Longmont nonprofit Can’d Aid contributed 50 brand-new bicycles. This donation combined with community contributions meant there were about 200 bikes to give to families on Saturday.
This year, Watson said the need for families across Boulder County was greater and many found themselves not able to buy Christmas presents for their children for the first time.
“They’re relying on their community members to help them this year,” Watson said. “They can’t provide toys; they’re trying to make rent. This year, we are happy to help them.”
In the parking lot Saturday was Chrystal Hernandez, of Boulder. She waited with her family as a bike was loaded into a trunk of their car.
“It means the world to me and my kids,” Hernandez said. “What they do for these children here is really a blessing.”
Also in line Saturday was Nicole Herring, of Lafayette. She and her husband both launched new businesses at the beginning of the year, without knowing the challenges that would be caused by the global pandemic. On Saturday, Herring went to Share-A-Gift to pick up presents for the couples’ three boys, who are ages 4, 8 and 11.
“We’ve managed to hang onto the businesses, but it’s been a lot of struggle. This is a huge relief to be able to still have Christmas with our kids,” Herring said.
Herring thanked the volunteers who made the event possible.
One of those volunteers was Dana Flitcraft, of Boulder. Flitcraft worked throughout the day to make sure families got a stack of books to place under the tree for their children. Flitcraft has volunteered at Share-A-Gift for roughly six years.
“It’s just great to help people and make some joy, especially this year,” Flitcraft said.
At Can’d Aid’s facility in Longmont, Alyssa Lile, program and outreach manager, said the nonprofit came up with a safe, no -contact way for people to give back for the holidays. As part of the Do-Goodery at Your Doorstep campaign, volunteers and residents helped put bikes together so they could be donated for Share-A-Gift.
“Everybody is putting one foot in front of the other and taking this scenario one step at a time. It doesn’t have to stop you from giving back and doing good,” Lile said. “You just have to get creative.”
Back in Boulder, Watson said Share-A-Gift is like a gift that keeps giving. Watson said in the 48 years that Share-A-Gift has been a tradition, its leaders have seen family members who were helped by the effort return to give back, whether through volunteering or by donating toys or money. Watson said people can give to next year’s toy fund by visiting Share-A-Gift’s website at: https://shareagift.org/.
“A lot of the volunteers are our clients,” Watson said. “People say they want to come and donate their time because we are giving their family Christmas.”
Bike programs postponed this year
Community Cycles of Boulder announced this month that it is postponing its holiday giveaway of bicycles to low-income families. The nonprofit plans to reschedule the event for April. To learn more, visit https://bit.ly/3mzwG1F.
Longmont’s Kids Holiday Bike program is also on hold this year. Organizers said they would not be passing out bikes, due to concerns about the coronavirus. They said they hope to reschedule the event for the spring. To learn more, visit https://bit.ly/37xuWBG.
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Share-A-Gift partners with Longmont’s Can’d Aid to bring Christmas to Boulder families - Boulder Daily Camera
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