December 14, 2022- Volunteers from ADM Cares partnered with Salvation Army for its annual toy shop that is held during the holiday season.
The toy shop gives families in need a chance to provide a Christmas for their loved ones. Several organizations, including Salvation Army, Toys for Tots, Northeast Community Fund, Dove, and now ADM Cares, partner for this event.
“The toy shop activity is really meaningful because it means that individuals in our community that may not be able to buy gifts for their children have the resource to provide a nice gift for them to open up on Christmas morning, and see the joy that the youth will be able to experience by having the gift under the tree,” Ashley Fultz, ADM Cares Manager said.
Toys were collected from Toys for Tots’ community toy drives this holiday season for the event. Families arrived at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and upon arrival, they were paired with a volunteer who assisted them as they shopped. The families then picked out gifts from tables set up in the Church’s warehouse, a book, scarves, hats, gloves, and a blanket. Those items were then wrapped for the families.
About 30 ADM Cares volunteers served as shoppers or handed out gifts at the tables. This is ADM’s first year volunteering at the toy shop. Fultz is hopeful that more community members will be encouraged to volunteer in the years coming.
“We all want to do what we can to make the holidays brighter for those in our community that are maybe a bit disadvantaged,” Fultz said. “So I think it is important not only for our team ADM but also community members to come out and do what they can to support the toy shop activities by either volunteering to help individuals receive the gifts but also by providing gifts so the kids can have those gifts under the tree every year.”
Below is the photo gallery of the event.
