The annual GAP Community Center Christmas Store is back in 2018 and bigger than ever! Last year we made gifts available at a reduced cost—$1 each!—to 85 families. 250 kids received gifts, and 80 kids received winter coats who otherwise didn’t have one.

This year we have a goal of blessing 500 kids with Christmas gits, and we need your help! Join us on Saturday, December 8, 2018 from 8am-4:30pm at The Revive Center located at 1860 N LeClaire Ave on Chicago’s West Side. We need volunteers to welcome families, guide them through the store, wrap gifts, and create a fun and memorable experience for their kids in the Winter Wonderland while their parents shop.

Click here to volunteer your time on December 8. Click here to donate to the Christmas Store.

Why sell the gits? We get this question a lot. We prefer to have a store rather than simply give away gifts because it creates agency for the parents of the kids. They are afforded the dignity of paying for the gifts and selecting what they want to give their children. The kids then receive gifts from their parents, not from a charity group. We collect brand new gifts and sell them for $1.00 each to parents who need help at Christmas. By hosting a store instead of a giveaway, we’re unlocking the potential in and with our community.