Kelowna Santas giving to kids right here at home

Kelowna Santas is ready to spread some cheer for another holiday season in the Okanagan!

The non-profit organization is a grassroots, volunteer initiative that hopes to give less fortunate children from Lake Country, Kelowna and West Kelowna, a better Christmas.

Low-income families, or those going through a rough time, can apply to the program, which will in-turn provide Christmas gifts to children 17 and under.

Nearly 100 businesses in Kelowna have signed up to be drop location and will be collecting new, unwrapped toys until December 16th at 4 p.m. For a list of drop locations, visit the Kelowna Santas website.

The gifts will then be delivered to families in need on December 23rd and 24th.

For those looking to do their part and help out, there are plenty of ways to get involved.

You can take part in the “Let’s (Wrap) Party!” hosted by Orchard Ford on December 19th at 6 p.m., where toys will be sorted by gender and age and wrapped for delivery.

Secondly, you can sign up as a reindeer, picking up wrapped gifts and delivering them to a list of homes on December 23rd and 24th.

If you’re donating and not sure what to give, Kelowna Santas will be accepting new gifts for kids and youth of all ages.

For babies under two, you can donate plush toys, block sets, balls and teething toys.

For toddlers two to four, look for building blocks, dolls, stuffed animals, cars, colouring books and action figures.

If you want to buy for school-age kids five to 10 years old, purchase lego, books, crafts and games.

Pre-teens ages 11-14 years old would like sports equipment, art supplies, jewellery, board games and gift cards.

Lastly, the most difficult age group to get gifts for is teens 15-17 years old. For them, grab bedroom accessories, novels, accessories, headphones and gift cards.

While these are just suggestions, feel free to get creative and pick out gifts that catch your eye. Take your kids along and show them the power of giving back.

We encourage you to like and share the Kelowna Santas Facebook page to raise awareness.

If you have questions or are looking for more ways to get involved, please visit our Kelowna Santas website.