PARKER, Colo. — During the holiday season, volunteers dedicate their time and holiday spirit to bring AdventHealth Parker and New Day Adventist Church's annual Christmas Store to life.
Behind them all is Shawna Sajdak, a Christmas Store volunteer of 13 years and the director of community outreach at New Day Adventist Church.
"We want it to be a Christmas wonderland. So we want the gifts to be bright and shiny and new, and we also want them to be things that kids would like," Sajdak said.
Over four days, more than 200 volunteers gather, wrap and give out gifts to more than 200 families in need.
"If Shawna disappeared, so many things would come to a halt," said Pastor Lisa Cardinal, the lead pastor at New Day Adventist Church. "She literally knows where everything is, where it's supposed to go."
Every year, students from 14 Parker-area schools are invited to choose one gift for themselves and multiple gifts for their family members. The goal is for kids to have something to give away on Christmas.
"That is a really special thing to be able to not just receive but to have that joy of giving to others. And you see some kids come to these tables, and they will walk around and they're really thinking, 'What would my brother or sister really want?'" Sajdak said.
Parker
Volunteers say 'it takes a village' to bring together Christmas Store in Parker
In its 13 years, the Christmas Store event has seen a sharp rise in the number of families supported.
"From one year to the next, a school might say, you know, this year we need seven invitations, and the very next year, they ask for 28 invitations," said Cardinal.
This past holiday season, around 3,000 gifts were given out. Volunteers expect that number to grow next year.
"We had to envision it from nothing to something. And if I were to, if someone were to say, 'Would you do this again?' I would choose Shawna again to do it with," Cardinal said, "Shawna can be excited about it. She can strategize. She can work hard. She can do all of the things that need to be done."
Sajdak's work doesn't stop when the holidays pass.
"Throughout the year, we are shopping for gifts. 95% of the gifts are purchased, about 5% are donated. And so we are just looking for good deals, going through the clearance bins, looking for things that we think the kids would like," she said. "That saying, 'It takes a village,' that is absolutely true. It takes a village all throughout the year to pull this off."
If you'd like to donate to next year's fund, you can visit the New Day Adventist Church website.
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