Community members help area families put presents under the tree

Christmas is less than two weeks away and community members are helping area families fill presents under their tree.

Tuesday afternoon, gifts were dropped off at the Zion Methodist Church in Chippewa Falls. The Sponsored Families program allows a family, club, business or an individual to sponsor a family by buying presents for the members of that family. The Spirit of Christmas organization provides the sponsoring family with the backside of an application for the gift wishes of each family member.

“When we are done this Saturday our major distribution site, including these gifts here today, we distribute to roughly 550-560 families right around 1,600 kids,” said Glen Zwiefelhofer, volunteer.

There are also gift giving trees at businesses throughout Chippewa County with tags reflecting gift requests from applicants.