Bureau drive spells local with a capital ‘L’

In the case of The Spokesman-Review Christmas Fund and Christmas Bureau, what goes around does indeed come around.

The annual charity is a local effort from beginning to end. Most donations to the Christmas Fund come from local businesses and community members. The money pays for the food vouchers and toys given to nearly 10,000 needy families that come to the bureau.

The thousands of toys given to poor children are purchased at wholesale cost through a local toy store, an expenditure of about $200,000. The $280,000 in food vouchers given to poor families to buy the makings of a holiday dinner can be redeemed only at local grocery stores.

But the local nature of this annual charity extends well beyond the hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations coming back into the local economy via food and toy purchases.

Hundreds of volunteer hours go into the operation of the Christmas Bureau, which opens Dec. 8 at the Spokane Fair and Expo Center, and dozens of local businesses and community groups donate goods and services worth thousands of dollars to make this charity a success.

Dave McGann, owner of the local Arby’s Restaurants, for example, provides lunch for about 80 volunteers daily through the 12-day run of the Christmas Bureau.

The toys left from last year and dozens of folding chairs and tables were stored in donated warehouse space provided by ABC Mini-Storage.

Assumption Parish stored the bureau’s computers in heated space all year; the computers, as well as 20 office chairs, were donated to the bureau by Cowles Publishing Co., which owns The Spokesman-Review. Cowles Publishing Co. also bears all of the administrative costs of the Christmas Fund, and pays the rent and heat for the Ag Building at the fairgrounds used by the Christmas Bureau.

The Hoo Hoo Express woodworkers’ club again made 780 wooden toy trucks for the bureau. The trucks go to children who spend time in the child care area at the bureau.

Craven’s Coffee Co. will again provide coffee for volunteers and recipients for the 12 days; the task of making that many gallons of coffee keeps two volunteers busy almost full-time.

Food Service of America, Safeway Inc., Unisource, Fred Meyer, Yoke’s Fresh Market and Service Paper Co. donated plastic bags of various sizes, most of which will be used to bag up the Christmas toys selected by parents. Most of the bags are opaque so the children will be surprised by their gifts on Christmas morning.

The Spokesman-Review Christmas Fund partners with Catholic Charities and the Volunteers of America in the operation of the charity. Catholic Charities’ House of Charity donates hot soup daily for the bureau volunteers. Among the donations from the Volunteers of America are 20,000 new children’s books; each needy child will get a book as well as a toy.

The local Costco stores gave the charity 2,000 paper bags, which the local service group Assistants stuffed with goodies as a Christmas gift for single, adult recipients. Costco also donated the use of two flatbed carts, which volunteers will use to move toys from the storage building to the toy rooms.

LCD Exposition Services and Jim Custer Enterprises create the rooms at the Christmas Bureau with festive red and white drapes, and dresses up the computer and identification tables.

The Spokane Chiefs Hockey Club stages a stuffed animal toss at one of its December games. Fans bring new stuffed animals to the game and toss them onto the ice during intermission. Chiefs personnel deliver the thousands of stuffed toys to the fairgrounds for distribution to poor children.

In less than two weeks, 15,000 new toys will need to be moved from storage to the fairgrounds. Estes West Trucking donated the use of five semi trucks and drivers, to do this.

URM Stores Inc. has donated 50 cases of Christmas candy so each family will go home with a bag of holiday sweets, and URM will deliver the pallets of candy to the bureau.

As the opening of the Christmas Bureau nears, the list of those willing to help out will grow. Donations to the Christmas Fund, also need to grow. Donations of any amounts are welcome. The list of donations and their donors will be published in daily stories in The Spokesman-Review beginning Monday.