‘Giving them a light’: Christmas Bureau volunteers getting ready for Thursday’s opening

A moving truck hauling more than 8,000 stuffed animals collected at Saturday’s Spokane Chiefs Teddy Bear Toss night was crammed so full that stuffies cascaded to the ground as soon as the door was opened.

There were dinosaurs, bears, dogs, unicorns, cats, sharks and at least one seahorse among the huge pile left for Christmas Bureau volunteers to sort and organize before families start arriving on Thursday. The nearly life-sized stuffed animals will be placed in the toy room for parents to select, while the small ones will be given to children as an extra gift while supplies last.

The Christmas Bureau is a joint effort by Catholic Charities, Volunteers of America and The Spokesman-Review to provide a grocery store voucher for each family and a toy and a book for each child.

It was all about organizing on Monday morning, as volunteers started unpacking the trucks full of boxes of books and toys that were unloaded last week. Computers and printers were pulled out of boxes and plugged in. Empty tables sat in the toy room, ready to be filled from the neat rows of boxes in the back room. SUVs pulled up to the back door, filled with hundreds of pairs of pajamas collected by local church and business pajama drives.

A group of high school students was there to help the experienced Christmas Bureau volunteers, moving boxes and pulling loaded carts as everyone sought to bring order to chaos. Junior Ari Everitt is a member of Gonzaga Prep’s Agape service group, and she was helping at the bureau for the first time Monday.

“It seemed like a super intriguing way of service,” she said of the bureau. “I didn’t know a ton about it.”

Before Everitt had been there an hour, she was already impressed by the work being done. “I think it’s wonderful,” she said. “It reminds me a lot of our food drive, everyone coming together. I think it’s really special how so many people are all-hands-on-deck for this.”

Volunteer Tammy Walker was working with a small group of women to bundle together warm fuzzy blankets with a decorative pillow, which are often selected for older teenagers. She’s been helping out at the Bureau for at least a decade and recruited a recently retired friend to come volunteer as well.

Walker said she always enjoys seeing the looks on the faces of recipients when they walk into the toy room to a wide selection of high-quality toys.

“It’s so rewarding to see the happiness and the satisfaction,” she said. “So many of them are so thankful and so grateful.”

Walker said she knows that what the Christmas Bureau provides will not change anyone’s long-term financial situation, but it does ease the worry of what to do about Christmas by providing a toy and a book for each child.

“It’s giving them a light,” she said.

The doors of the Bureau will open to the public at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center.

Donations

New donations of $14,085 have brought the year-to-date total to $153,740.68. There’s still a large gap to fill to collect the goal of $600,000 to pay for the grocery store vouchers, toys and books handed out at the Christmas Bureau to families in need.

TESTCOMM LLC, of Spokane, donated $6,300. “Please accept this contribution from our team at TESTCOMM,” wrote manager Jerry Ensminger. “As we celebrate our 28th year serving the construction industry in Spokane and beyond, we also celebrate 28 years of participating in this wonderful Spokane tradition. We are proud to be part of this community and to continue our participation in this worthy event.”

Robert Stevens donated $2,000 via PayPal. Sharon and Alan Cannon, of Spokane, gave $1,000. Cyrus and Janet Vaughn, of Spokane, sent $1,000.

The Sisters of Providence, of Spokane, donated $500. Robert Douthitt contributed $500 via PayPal.

Kelly and Janet Watson, of Spokane, contributed $300. Carl and Dennie Crowe, of Spokane, also donated $300. They gave a card that reads, “Hope lives in the hearts of those who believe,” and wrote, “Hope also lives in the hearts of those who both give and receive the generosity of your Christmas tradition.” Michael and Barbara Byram, of Spokane, gave $300 as well.

James and Jacqueline Vroman, of Spokane, gave $250. An anonymous donor sent $200 via PayPal “in memory of Don, Lois and Devin Johnson.” Judith Madden donated $200 via PayPal, writing, “Thanks for all you do and Happy Holidays.”

Beth Schomburg, of Spokane, donated $160, writing, “I hope you all have a Merry Christmas. I’m so thankful for all you do.” Deanna and Alan Eppinger, of Spokane, gave $125.

Fred and Gayle Fox, of Spokane, sent $100, writing, “Thank you for all you do for the Spokane community.” Susan and Allen Hoover, of Spokane, gave $100, as did Barbara Obde, also of Spokane.

Don and Judi Young and Vicki the terrier, of Spokane, donated $100. Chuck and Sharon Preston, of Nine Mile Falls, also gave $100. “Many blessings to all,” they wrote. Lisa Reuter contributed $100 via PayPal.

Sheri Barnard, of Spokane, donated $50, writing, “Blessings to all who enjoy the gifts from this community. I am so thankful for those who donate and the volunteers who make it possible.” Terri Hayman, Diane Zemke, Karen Olson and Shannon Dunn each donated $50 via PayPal.

An anonymous Spokane donor sent $50. Thomas Mosher also gave $50 via PayPal “in honor of my wife, Mary Mosher.”