ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away, and the next day marks the official start of the Christmas shopping season.
Locally, officials with USD 483 have been making the holidays a little brighter for families for years through the district’s Angel Tree project.
This year’s project is already under way, and USD 483 Nurse Norma Sanchez, who coordinates the project with fellow employee Kayla Mendoza, said sign-ups for this year’s Angel Tree will be different than they have been in the past.
“It’s going to be through Event Brite,” Sanchez said. “There will be a link and a QR code that’s going to go out to families in the USD 483 area. They just need to click the link and put in all their information.”
Sanchez said the online form is a little lengthy, but project officials want to get the correct information for each child.
“We don’t want to get the wrong information or mix up information,” she said. “We want the correct gender, age and sizes. We want to make sure we’ve got their needs met. With that QR code, people can easily sign up on their phones, and it’s going to send out a ticket that allows them to utilize as a voucher for that night of distribution.”
Sanchez said when gifts are picked up, those picking them up will be able to show the ticket they got from registration.
“I’m not the most tech-savvy person on the planet, but hopefully, it’s not hard to use, and hopefully, we can troubleshoot whatever issues we have,” she said. “I’m anticipating it’s going to make it easier and more help things be more streamlined.”
Sanchez said the most requested items for the Angel Tree are socks and underwear, and she explained what is and what is not accepted for presents.
“Our program also accepts wrapping paper and tape,” she said. “As far as kids, what we don’t like to see are things that are of a violent nature or dark-natured. We don’t like to see anything like drones or video games. Those types of things will not be accepted.”
Instead, Sanchez said the Angel Tree project’s primary focus is making sure the needs of each child is met.
“That’s something that’s put on the angel,” she said. “We specifically ask each family what is it they need, and those needs are a priority. If a child says they need a coat, we make sure they get a coat. If they say the child needs socks and underwear, we make sure they get socks and underwear.”
In addition to the needs, Sanchez said Angel Tree gifts contain fun items such as toys, coloring books, crayons and books.
“All of those things are important too,” she said. “We try to meet those requests. If they like a certain toy, we try to meet that request as close as possible. We always try to make every single box is individualized and make sure each child feels special.”
In addition to socks and underwear, Sanchez said families are often in need of warm clothes, diapers and wipes.
Sanchez said USD 483’s needs, demographics and population remains the same as it has in the past, and she said community members are tapping into food pantries more often than normal in recent years.
“Right now, things are very expensive, and families have to prioritize what they really need,” she said. “Our families are really feeling the economy.”
With the recent government shutdown at the federal level, Sanchez said district residents have concerns over potential benefits from USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
“I haven’t seen the major impact of that yet, but I’m sure I will,” she said. “I can tell you it is definitely something our families are talking about. Offering or giving just one gift to a child is going to be a tremendous help in these families’ lives.”
Sanchez said the magnitude of the shutdown would likely not be felt right away in USD 483, but it could be felt closer to Christmas.
“Not getting SNAP benefits today might not make a huge difference, but in the weeks to come, that’s when the families are going to feel the pinch of that not coming in,” she said. “With the holidays being here, the timing of that was extremely hard. I think that’s going to really impact our community. We’re hoping it doesn’t, but it’s hard to tell right now. We can speculate what we think might happen, but all we can do is make sure these families get all the information they can.”
Sanchez said this makes the Angel Tree even more important, and she said district residents have been great throughout the years helping each other. She did say, though, the project is only for USD 483 families.
“That means if you live outside of the school district, you’re going to have to apply for your area’s Angel Tree,” she said. “That’s in place in every area. It keeps families getting their items from the correct location.”
This, Sanchez said, helps the district better utilize the limited resources it has for the project.
“We certainly don’t want to run into each other’s districts either way,” she said. “We want to be able to take care of our district, and we want other districts to be able to take care of their families. We want to make sure that’s something the families are all aware of.”
Sanchez said she and Mendoza have been coordinating the Angel Tree for years, and it has become one of the highlights in their year.
“We feel it’s God’s work,” Sanchez said. “We feel it’s our way to give back to our community. What we witness every year is great. We feel our community always steps up. We’ve never had problems with our community not being supportive. We feel we’re so blessed to live where we do.”
Sanchez said she and Mendoza frequently hear stories of struggles in other communities with Angel Tree projects, but this is not the case with USD 483.
“We really step up when it comes down to it,” Sanchez said. “The people who are volunteering their time to wrap, distribute, donate food and put boxes together make a huge difference,” she said. “There’s no way my partner and I could do it alone. It takes everyone’s help to do that, and because we’ve seen the outpouring of help and support, it makes us feel so good.”
One thing Sanchez does not get to see as part of the project’s process is when children open the gifts, but she did say when packages are put together, excitement can be found as volunteers can see how much each child will enjoy the present they get.
“I sometimes wish I could to see them open that and see their expression, but we know that’s just part of it,” she said. “It’s really exciting for us, and we get a lot of different people who come in for this.”
Sanchez said community members are eager to help with the project, and she is equally eager to have them help.
“I want everyone possible to be a part of this,” she said. “It’s exciting to see that.”
Sanchez said many groups and organizations help out with the Angel Tree such as Mid-Kansas Cooperative and Southwestern Heights High School’s National Honor Society.
The registration deadline for the Angel Tree was Friday, Nov. 14, but Sanchez said registrations can still be taken after that. Distribution is scheduled for 5 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 17 at the Bank of the Plains location in Plains. She said community help continues with SWH’s basketball team assisting families with their gifts.
Sanchez said gift recipients also get a box of food with their package, and she said basketball players are huge help with this.
“Sometimes, it’s a lot to haul out and carry, but our basketball team takes care of all the leg work,” she said. “They do all the running around, and they help clean up. They help with all that service. They put in the time, effort and energy. Sometimes, we’re out there freezing because it’s cold, and we’re out in the cold. Sometimes, it’s sleeting, freezing and raining, but they’re out there doing it with a happy heart.”
Sanchez said it is a blessing to have the basketball team on board with the Angel Tree project and to utilize Bank of the Plains for the distribution.
“They don’t charge us for it,” she said. “We take up their whole basement during this Angel Tree time, and we’re very blessed to have that opportunity as well. There’s so many pieces to this puzzle. I’m sure I’m forgetting people, but there’s just no way to thank everyone for everything they’ve done for us.”
More information about the project can be found at www.usd483.net.
“We will have information on the angel tree, along with links and QR codes,” Sanchez said. “It’ll have our contact information on there as well.”
As present shopping is done and the Dec. 17 distribution date draws nearer, Sanchez said she becomes more excited.
“I shop throughout the whole year for the Angel Tree,” she said. “I’ll be picking up boxes throughout the year for the Angel Tree, but it isn’t until I get down into that basement and roll my sleeves up that I really get excited.”
Sanchez said she is often amazed of what is accomplished with the Angel Tree project as she sees the mountains of boxes, wrapping paper and items that go into making the project possible.
“I can’t believe we have what it takes to get this done,” she said. “I can’t believe what we’ve done here. It’s a great feeling of accomplishment, but also, it’s a great feeling of knowing these kids are really going to love what this person has put together for them. That to me is awesome.”
Sanchez added she sees the thought and heart people put into the gifts.
“They didn’t just go pick out stuff,” she said. “They really put some heart and effort into it, and that is the most rewarding part of all to me.”
