Kids help needy families through Christmas Store

South Jordan Elementary first-graders drummed up 559 new hats, gloves and socks to donate to the Christmas Store, set up in Midvale Middle School to help Jordan District families in need provide Christmas for their children.

The children's gift was the single biggest contribution to the store, which served about 350 children last week.

It's also the most warm clothes ever collected by Janiel Fox's first-grade class, which has gathered hats, mittens and socks for those in need over the past 12 years.

"I asked, do you guys feel bad we're giving all this stuff away? They said, no, this makes us feel good!" Fox said. "They love it. They absolutely love it."

The Christmas store started about four years ago, said LeNise Zylstra, project coordinator of the Jordan Student Intervention Team, which oversees the program.

The team helps Jordan District families struggling with education issues, unemployment, parenting or accessing community resources, and offers them support through tutoring, health screenings, English classes, links to community services, in-home training and other assistance.

The store, set up last week in Midvale Middle School, helped more than 100 families from all over the school district, Zylstra said. Mothers came in throughout the week to browse hundreds of books, games, blankets, clothes and toys donated by residents, church groups, schoolchildren and even a local karate studio.

Moms can pick three toys, one full outfit and outdoor gear, a candy bag and three books for each of their children. They also receive toiletries and a basket of kitchen items, donated by a Sandy LDS ward.

"When the moms come in, they are just in awe," Zylstra said. "Their situations are truly grave, and this makes a considerable difference."

Making a difference — that's just what Fox wants to teach her students.

Twelve years ago Fox was looking for a service project 6- and 7-year-olds could understand. Cold heads, hands and feet hit home the best. She's stuck with it and uses the drive to teach math concepts, from addition and subtraction to sorting and predicting.

Donations grew over the years and, this year had to be hauled out on custodians' carts.

"The children in my area have a lot — the poorest child has a lot," Fox said. But this year, she said, "I haven't heard the typical, 'Guess what I want for Christmas (talk).' It's more, 'Do you think the kids like what we sent?' or 'It's so cold out there, do you think they got the things we gave?"

The definitive answer, of course, will come Christmas Day. But moms selecting items from the Christmas Store last week seemed to love it.

"I like it because they have a lot of things, like books," said Leticia Guerrero, a West Jordan mother of three. "It's great because it helps ... little kids."

E-mail: jtcook@desnews.com

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