MILL CREEK — The holidays weren’t looking so good this year for Kimberly Moreau and her family.
Moreau, 29, of Monroe, was laid off from her job as a nurse two days before Thanksgiving. Even with her husband picking up extra shift work as a tow-truck driver, buying a Christmas tree seemed out of the question.
Moreau was trying to come up with a plan to save Christmas for her three children when a friend found out she could get a tree for free.
Moreau and her best friend were among scores of people on Saturday afternoon who stopped by the Gold Creek Community Church in Mill Creek for a free Christmas tree.
“It’s helped my family tremendously,” Moreau said.
The church had about 500 trees this weekend to give to people who are out of work. The giveaway on Saturday was supposed to start at 2:30 p.m., but families began to show up early, Dan Kellogg, the church’s pastor said.
Volunteers were greeting people and giving out snacks. The smell of fresh-cut trees, hearty chicken noodle soup and cookies filled the church parking lot.
Rachelle Balbuena, 30, of Shoreline, was warming up with a cup of coffee as she watched her fiance secure a tree on the top of their car. Balbuena’s fiance is out of work right now, and the tree was a big help for the couple and their two children.
“Times are hard right now,” she said. “This has truly been a blessing.”
The couple chatted with Kellogg before heading home to decorate their Christmas tree.
Every year, the church collects food for the hungry and adopts families for the holidays. Volunteers also usually put on a special event for kids with real snow they haul down from the mountains. This year, a construction project took up the space needed for snow, so the church decided to give away Christmas trees instead, Kellogg said.
He knew how many people in the community had lost their jobs. Some may be embarrassed to ask for a tree, but Kellogg said he hopes churchgoers with jobless friends or neighbors will pick up a tree for them. On Saturday evening, about 200 trees still were waiting to be taken home.
“I have friends who lost their jobs,” the pastor said. “I don’t want them to worry about a Christmas tree.”
More trees to give
Volunteers plan to give out Christmas trees again today starting at 9 a.m. at Gold Creek Community Church, 4326 148th St. SE, Mill Creek.
Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452 or kyefimova@heraldnet.com.
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