EVERETT — A line of volunteers passed big yellow bags from the back of a truck, through the gym door and onto a fast-growing pile along one wall.
The bags’ contents could be seen through the bright plastic: dolls, soccer balls, toy cars, stuffed animals, board games and art supplies. One volunteer rolled in a shiny new black and green bicycle.
“That’s 43 bikes,” someone announced, the words greeted by a cheer.
It took nine truckloads to deliver the hundreds of bags of toys collected by Les Schwabs around Snohomish County this month. Everything is going to local children through Christmas House, which takes donations from a number of businesses and service organizations throughout the year.
The nonprofit started in Everett 33 years ago to help low-income families put presents under their trees for the holiday. For families who don’t have trees, the organization provides a few of those, too.
Volunteers arrange the donations into a makeshift store in the gym of the Everett Boys &Girls Club, 2316 12th St. Shopping at the store doesn’t cost anything. As long as parents can provide proof of income, their kids’ ages and that they live in Snohomish County, they are invited to pick out toys for children 18 years old or younger.
Last year, Christmas House gave out more than 50,000 gifts for 9,064 children and teens. They’re on track to hit those numbers again this year, said Rosemary Randall, one of the volunteer directors. Saturday is their last shopping day for this year.
Hundreds of volunteers and thousands of donors have been bringing in and sorting toys since Dec. 4.
On Friday, cardboard boxes overflowed with plush animals, colorful hair styling kits and coveted “Frozen” figurines from the popular Disney movie. Coats were hung up on racks, bicycles lined up in rows. A stuffed toy beaver wearing an incongruous silver-and-pink tiara watched over the scene.
“It’s like Santa just got here,” volunteer director Gregg Milne said, surveying the neatly sorted boxes and the yet-to-be-sorted mountain of yellow bags.
Christmas carols echoed in the gym while bags rustled and people talked and laughed. One woman started to sing, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.”
Rick Kvangnes, president of the Christmas House board of directors, added a particularly large bag to the pile of incoming gifts. The weight of the bags signaled some big gifts inside, he said.
“It looked like Christmas about five trucks ago,” Kvangnes said.
Christmas House gave toys for 534 children Friday. They were gearing up for their last, busy day, Randall said. Anything that isn’t claimed will be stored for next year, giving the organization some supplies to open again in early December 2015.
“What’s really incredible to me, besides all the effort, is toys collected in Snohomish County, delivered in Snohomish County, stay in Snohomish County with Snohomish County kids,” Kvangnes said.
“That’s just tremendous. This is Christmas for us.”
Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.
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