Last minute gift wrapping at Meadowbrook Mall helps local charities
Dec. 24—FAIRMONT — Procrastinators desperately searching for someone to save them with last minute gift wrapping can take gifts to Meadowbrook Mall in Bridgeport, where the United Way of Harrison and Doddridge Counties will finish out their Christmas Season wrapping gifts for charity.
"We've been operating the gift wrap station at Meadowbrook Mall for probably over 20 years now," Brad Riffee, director of the Harrison and Doddridge United Way, said. "It's a holiday tradition for us at United Way, from Black Friday all the way through Christmas Eve until the mall closes, we wrap presents. One hundred percent of the proceeds go back to our 22 United Way funded partners."
No administrative fees will be taken out of the proceeds, and all the donations will stay local. The best in ribbons, bows and wrapping paper will be available. Riffee admitted his bias but nonetheless proclaimed their gift wrapping station as the best one in West Virginia.
Suggested donations are $2 for a small box or $5 for a large box, however the donation amount remains a personal choice. Volunteers wrap the gift before receiving a donation.
It's not just last minute shoppers who stop by. The booth also provides a service to people who have difficulty wrapping due to health issues which preclude fine motor movement in their fingers and hands.
"We had some people who have disabilities," Angie White, one of the volunteers, said. "We are able to wrap their gifts they brought to us and it's just, you know, it's a win-win situation."
White works for Legal Aid of West Virginia, which is one the 22 programs that receives United Way funding.
"I just really think that the work that United Way's doing is so important to our community," White said. "They fund 21 partner agencies, including legal aid. All of the money that you donate to the United Way goes back to our community, every dollar and so I just think it's a really great opportunity to give back to agencies that are improving our community."
Charla Nutter, another volunteer who helped organize the wrapping booth along with White and one other person, said they do other fundraising projects throughout the year. She said the United Way works hard to ensure that 100% of the money they raise stays in the two counties they serve. Volunteering also has roots in her family's values.
"I grew up in Salem, which is part of Harrison County, and I saw my parents and my grandparents give back," Nutter said. "The United Way was just an easy fit for me. It was a great way to get involved with the community to get involved with our agencies. So when we had the opportunity to spearhead our own event, which is the gift wrapping booth, it was a good fit for me."
Nutter said gifts don't have to be ones bought at the mall. It can be anything that needs wrapping, including presents that have languished in a hidden space for a long time to ensure a loved one didn't ruin their surprise on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. The booth will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Reach Esteban at efernandez@timeswv.com
