Volunteers, who are employees of the American Crystal Sugar Company, were on hand Tuesday, Dec. 8, at the Grand Cities Mall to help sort gift items that will be packed and delivered to families in need to brighten their Christmas season.
The volunteers worked in a large room that has been donated for this purpose by Hope Church, which owns the mall. The space is otherwise used by the church as a youth gathering room and, in the past, housed the Bingo Palace.
Volunteers also are packing bags Wednesday and Thursday and delivering bags Friday this week to families.
Fewer volunteers can help with sorting and packing at any one time, compared to past Christmas holidays, because of social distancing requirements, said Jen Ekberg, vice president of Santa Claus Girls.
“This year, I have five packing stations with five teams of two, instead of 50 teams of two,” Ekberg said. “We easily had 30 packing stations last year.”
Among other volunteer groups who are helping with the project are employees of Community Contractors and young members of the Border Blades Figure Skating Club.
“It’s nice to see parents instilling these values in their children," Ekberg said.
For more information on volunteering for or donating to Santa Claus Girls, visit
www.santaclausgirls.com
.
1/6: Working for the Santa Claus Girls at the Grand Cities Mall, volunteers help sort and pack gifts that will be bagged and delivered to Grand Cities families in need Friday, Dec. 11. (Submitted photo)
2/6: Working for the Santa Claus Girls, volunteers help sort and pack gifts to be given to families in need at Christmastime. (Submitted photo)
3/6: A volunteer prepares to send a box down a ramp Monday, Dec. 7, in his work for the Santa Claus Girls. The ramp was build to ease the transfer of boxes of gifts from the second to first floor at the Grand Cities Mall. (Submitted photo)
4/6: Santa Claus Girls volunteers sort gifts which will go to households of families in need in the Grand Cities to brighten their holidays. (Submitted photo)
5/6: Dozens of boxes of gifts are lined up by Santa Claus Girls in preparation for the gift distribution process at the Grand Cities Mall. (Submitted photo)
6/6: A volunteer for prepares to send a box down a ramp for the Santa Claus Girls project. The ramp was built to ease the transfer of boxes from second to first floor at the Grand Cities Mall. (Submitted photo)
Pamela Knudson is a features and arts/entertainment writer for the Grand Forks Herald.
She has worked for the Herald since 2011 and has covered a wide variety of topics, including the latest performances in the region and health topics.
Pamela can be reached at pknudson@gfherald.com or (701) 780-1107.
