The season of giving: How you can help brighten the holidays for disadvantaged Puebloans
The season of giving has arrived in Pueblo, but with rising costs fueled by the highest inflation in decades, many parents may be struggling to pay the rent and buy food, let alone save money for holiday gifts.
But the generosity of the Puebloans tends to hit a high point this time of year, and several agencies throughout Pueblo and Pueblo West are stepping up to collect not only toys, but also clothing, blankets and coats for those most in need.
The Chieftain has compiled the following list of charity drives for Puebloans seeking to give back during the holiday season.
New addition: Do Drop Inn blanket and coat drive
Do Drop Inn, 1201 S. Santa Fe, is hosting a coat and blanket drive. Residents can drop off gently used coats and blankets during operating hours between 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily except Tuesday when the restaurant is closed. At the end of the month, all items will be donated to charity shops.
Pueblo West Metro's Giving Tree
"The Giving Tree" is on display at the Pueblo West Metro District water department offices at 20 W. Palmer Lake Drive and is full of tags that list the age and gender of children in need.
"You can just grab a tag off the tree, purchase gifts for that child and return them to the water department office by Thursday, Dec. 8," said Anthony Sandstrom, district communications manager.
In cooperation with Pueblo County School District 70, in-need students in Pueblo West were identified by school teachers and administrators as candidates for the giving tree gifts.
The same families also will receive community food baskets Dec. 21. Donations of hams for the food baskets are being accepted between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the parks office, 340 E. Hahns Peak Ave., through Dec. 14.
Dolls for Daughters and Toys for Boys
Kenzi's Causes is set to host its fifth annual Toy Drive from 8:15 a.m. to noon Dec. 10 at Pueblo Community College’s student center, 900 W. Orman Ave., in the second-floor conference room.
The charity will provide assistance to 500 low-income children from infants to age 18. Charity staff plan to provide each child with a big toy, small toy, wooden toy car and a stocking.
Online preregistration opens at 9 a.m. Dec. 8 at kenzicauses.org. Birth certificates are required for each participating child, and parents or guardians must bring photo identification.
Parents will need to complete a survey before shopping. The surveys will be given out on the day of the event.
A Toy Drive and Holiday Celebration with Sol
Centro del Quinto Sol, 609 E. Sixth St., is accepting toy donations through Dec. 10.
Pueblo Parks and Recreation staff will host the free event featuring holiday games and activities for the whole family from noon to 2 p.m. Dec. 10. There will be a gift giveaway for children.
Children must be present to receive a gift while supplies last.
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Saddle up for a good cause
The Christmas Toy Round Up and Trail Ride hosted by the Pueblo West Horsemen's Association is set for 11 a.m. Dec. 11.
The ride will begin at Dollar General at the intersection of North Purcell Bouelvard and Gold Drive, proceed to Big R and then return. Riders are encouraged to dress in their favorite Christmas sweater or costume.
Donations of new, unwrapped toys will be distributed to children in need through Court Appointed Student Advocates of Pueblo and Halfway Home of Pueblo.
Children younger than 18 must have an adult ride with them. Nonriders can bring their children to Big R to get photographs with the horses and can bring a toy to donate.
U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots
Volunteers will collect new, unwrapped toys and distribute them as Christmas gifts to less fortunate children in the community.
More than 97% of monetary donations go to the organization’s mission of providing toys, books and other gifts to disadvantaged kids; less than 3% is spent on fundraising and overhead.
Toys will be accepted at 18 locations throughout Pueblo and Pueblo West. To see a complete list of donation sites, visit pueblo-co.toysfortots.org.
Toys are distributed through Pueblo Cooperative Care. Individual family toy applications are closed, but if the organization receives enough local donations to assist more families, applications will reopen Dec. 15.
Winter is better with a warm sweater and coat drive
The Southern Colorado Harm Reduction Association is hosting a sweater and coat drive through mid-December at the Pueblo Latino Chamber of Commerce, 215 S. Victoria Ave., and the association office at 1249 E. Routt Ave.
Donations of sweaters, coats, clothing or tarps will be accepted to help serve individuals in need. For details, call 719-542-5513.
Holiday cheer gift and toy drive for the 'littles’
The Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce is hosting a gift and toy drive for Court Appointed Special Advocates of Pueblo, which serves children who have been abused or neglected.
Donors can drop off a new toy or gift at the chamber office, 302 N. Santa Fe Ave., through Dec. 16 or bring items to a Dec. 8 lunch event. In 2021, CASA of Pueblo served a record 385 youths. Call 719-542-1704 for details.
'Halfway Home is where the heart is' toy drive
Halfway Home Pueblo, a nonprofit youth resource center dedicated to educating and mentoring children, will start accepting toys for children in need Monday, Dec. 5.
The center is located at 803 W. Fourth St. Suite B and R and will be open to receive donations from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and up until 11 a.m. Dec. 21. Toys for students in kindergarten through 12th grade will be accepted.
Halfway Home Founder William Wright said he is hoping the agency can collect 375 toys, up from the 265 given away last year.
“I want it to keep getting bigger,” he said.
Toys will be distributed at 1 p.m. Dec. 21 at the resource center. To sign up for the toy giveaway, go to the nonprofit’s website at halfwayhomepueblo.org and click on the events tab by Dec. 20.
Monetary donations also can be made on the website.
How to help Pueblo Cooperative Care Center keep Puebloans warm this winter
Pueblo Cooperative Care is dedicated to helping Pueblo County residents in need, and the organization relies on a the generosity of local donors, clubs, organizations and businesses.
"We primarily serve low-income, no-income and homeless individuals and families; and while our request for services has increased, we have successfully upheld our mission objectives to meet the needs of our communities. This could not be possible without community support," said Corry Higbee, executive director.
"We strive to do something every day that brings people closer to a better tomorrow – to make a difference," Higbee said.
Several community events have concluded, such as Pueblo Charter Lions Club's 2022 Socktoberfest drive, which brought in 981 pairs of socks, but there are still ways to help.
The Southern Colorado Small Business Development Center and Pueblo West Chamber will collect blankets and gently used coats for the center from 5 to 8 p.m. Dec. 15 during the 5 O'Clock Connections and Holiday Pop Up event at Pueblo Community College, 900 W. Orman Ave.
Pueblo Area Chapter of Credit Unions is also accepting coats for the center in all sizes and styles through Jan. 13. Coat donation sites include Aventa, Power, Minnequa Works, SunWest, Premier Members, Pueblo Government Agencies Federal and Ent Credit Union sites. Find out more on Facebook.
The Lioness Project of Pueblo continues its hat and glove community clothing drive. To find out more, call Janay McLemore at 719-289-2454.
One more winter coat drive to get you hyped
Hype Seeds Seed Bank in Pueblo is overseeing a winter coat drive accepting coats, jackets, sweatshirts and winter clothing for those in need.
Donations for the Pueblo Co-op can be dropped off between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday at 326 W. Eighth St.
Kevin O'Neil of Hype Seeds said donors can also email contact@hypeseeds.com "and we'll happily pick them up and deliver them to the Pueblo Co-op or hand them out to people in need."
"We'll be running this donation drive up until the end of February," he said.
If your toy or clothing drive is not included in this roundup, the Chieftain can still add it to the story online. Please email details to tharmon@chieftain.com.
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Chieftain reporter Tracy Harmon covers business news. She can be reached by email at tharmon@chieftain.com or via Twitter at twitter.com/tracywumps.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: How to help for the holidays in Pueblo: Donation drives
