Volunteers needed for Kids Christmas

submitted by Barry Allen, Manchester Lions Club

Kids Christmas — you’ve probably never heard of it, but it’s been a Manchester tradition for many years back with the Civic Club, then to the Kiwanis along with the Lions, and now solely by the Manchester Lions Club in conjunction with Manchester Family Services. We’ve kept it quiet to preserve the privacy and dignity of our recipients, but by being too quiet, we make it very difficult to find the host of volunteers we need to perform this community service. This year, we have decided to be more forthright to make the event more open yet secure.

On Saturday, December 10, we will meet at the Riverside School Cafeteria, where at 8:30am our families will arrive for the Kids Christmas shopping event. Family Services provides a list of eligible families and we will check the kids in, giving each child a ‘shopping pass’ which they will be able to use in selected businesses in Manchester to purchase gifts for their siblings and parents. Upon arrival they will be assigned a seating area at one of the many tables, and provided breakfast treats and beverages. Adult sponsors will pair up with the individual children and prepare to take them shopping. Last year, COVID severely reduced our number of volunteers, so some sponsors had to take multiple children. As the kids shop, their transactions will be recorded by the merchant, then the Lions Club will stop by later and pay according to their shopper number and the total cost.

Now they return to the Riverside cafeteria where they will wrap all the gifts they have found at the various businesses, and at 11am pizzas, donated by Ollie’s, will arrive, along with Santa. Santa will draw the names of each participating child and they will get to select toys for themselves. Most of the toys are the result of the Manchester Fire Department’s Toys For Tots program, so please support them.  

The event wraps up at about noon or shortly thereafter and the children take their Christmas presents home, and the volunteers clean up the cafeteria so they couldn’t even tell if we’d been there. Special thanks to all of our volunteers and donations, especially Worth Repeating, the Manchester Fire Department, Masons and Lions, Ollie’s, and Manchester Family Services.

To volunteer, call/text to Barry Allen, 734-904-4694 or pdg.barryrallen@gmail.com.

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.