News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The Van Buren County Santa Shop is in need of donations to make a Merry Christmas for kids in need.
Santa Shop Coordinator Sarah Hillis said donations have been going down for years. Hillis said the number of families in need continues to rise, while donations they used to count on are no longer there.
“You know they don’t have to make a cash donation,” Hillis said. “If you’ve got good, used toys that your children don’t play with and all the parts are there, we do take those.”
Hillis said the donation goal is to have Santa Shop, where kids and families do not have to limit what they pick. She said donations can be taken to the Van Buren County Ag Extension Office or arranged by calling 686-8426 or 235-4451.
Hillis said they are also offering made to order aprons at this time that can be ordered over the phone. She said November there will be a booth set up for donations and fundraising at the civic center in Spencer.
“We’ve got just a few little items that a couple of the ladies have made and we’re going to sell those,” Hillis said. “Then we’re just going to take in donations and if anybody wants to donate at that time to help buy the toys.”
Hillis said if donations can get where they need to be, the Santa Shop can help large groups of the county’s kids most in need.
“Last year we had the Head Start from across the mountain, they came in and shopped for the children in the program,” Hillis said. “Because all of them are very low income. So we actually had a school come in and shop for about 30 kids.”
Hillis said that fundraising for the Van Buren County Santa Shop is a year long process.
