The Christmas Bureau helps a young mother provide for her son and siblings: ‘They thought of everything’

Paige Savage works full-time, but she came to the Christmas Bureau on her day off with her mother and her 2-year-old son, Ryder.

“He’s the one in all red, very anxious,” Savage, 23, said of her son.

On the drive to the bureau, she said he took a nap, and “that’s why he’s extra on-the-go.”

Savage brought Ryder along partly because child care wasn’t an option, but also because she wanted to spend time with him.

“It’s one of my days off, so I really try to have my days off being around him,” she said.

But Savage wasn’t only shopping for her son.

Savage said her mother recently lost her home, so she is now housing her younger siblings – an 11-year-old brother and a sister, 13.

The house was too cramped to fit any more people, leaving Savage’s mother with nowhere to go.

“She comes in to eat, but I have my siblings and she stays on her own, mostly sleeping in her car,” Savage said of her mother.

She acknowledged that taking care of three children on her own has been a lot.

“I’m kind of used to it, though,” she said.

The Christmas Bureau will help make the morning of Dec. 25 a bit more special for the family this year.

“Oh, I’m so excited,” Savage said as she entered the toy room.

After standing hours in line, Savage picked a Star Wars book for her brother, the Kate DiCamillo book “The Tale of Desperaux” for her sister and the picture book “Hello Garage” for her son.

“It has a bunch of animals in it; he’ll love it,” Savage said.

She was pleasantly surprised when a volunteer offered her a shopping cart.

“I didn’t know they were so helpful,” she said. “They thought of everything.”

Savage went straight for the two-for-one table and found two art sets for her son.

“My son wants anything to color,” she said.

Savage held a drone up and then added it to the cart for her brother.

“What 12-year-old wouldn’t love a drone?” she said.

She found a karaoke set for her sister.

“My little sister is going to be so excited,” Savage said. “She had her own one of these, and then her brother broke it.”

Savage’s siblings were in school, and she didn’t tell them she was going to the Christmas Bureau.

“I just got a job, so leading up to Christmas, I didn’t have any income,” she said. “Being able to at least make sure that the kids are getting something is a really good feeling.”

Donations

At $201,398.46, the Spokesman-Review Christmas Fund is one third of the way to its $600,000 goal. Recent donations total $29,350.

Cowles Company, which owns The Spokesman-Review, made a $25,000 donation.

An anonymous donor sent $1,000.

Marilyn Frei, Scott and Shannon Sevigny, and Stephen and Karen Darling each donated $500.

Anita Indelicato sent $300. “This donation is made in the memory of my parents, Bing and Linda Farmin,” she wrote.

William and Georgette Savitz donated $250.

“In honor of Linda Solan and all who work so hard for the fund,” Mike and Christie Hinnen gave $250.

Burt and Shirley Pendleton sent $250.

Theresa Omans donated $200. “Good work by all the volunteers and persons connected with this year’s Christmas Fund. In memory of all the volunteers from all the past years, many of whom have passed – including my parents.”

Marcy and Mark Majeski and three anonymous donors each sent $100.

“In memory of Ken Reilly,” Lynn Reilly donated $100.

Charles and Mary Ellen Steen, of Liberty Lake, sent $50, as did Edward and Georgia Merz.