News : Angel tree gifts brighten Christmas for hundreds of area families

Lynette Parker, center, organized the Harvest House Christmas gift distribution this past weekend.

The room was full of some of the most famous names in children's games and toys.

Barbie. Bratz. Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head. Hot Wheels. Parker Brothers board games. Simon, the electronic memory game.

These and many more names, along with a variety of other toys, games, dolls and books were available for parents looking for Christmas presents for their children. Even local toymaker Glen Krug donated several of his wooden vehicles to the project.

And each of these gifts for area children was a gift from a Vinton area resident, part of the annual effort to make sure that every child has a chance to enjoy something new for Christmas.

Every year, around 300 families benefit from the generosity of area residents through the Angel Tree and other Christmas giving programs led by Harvest House Ministry.

This year, 275 families signed up for the Angel Tree and Christmas gift program.

Lynette Parker leads the effort. She and other volunteers spent much of Friday distributing the toys and clothing to the parents who had signed up for the program. A total of 148 Angel Tree donors took the cards from the U.S. and Farmers Bank lobbies, and returned wrapped presents for a specific child.

Many others donated toys and gifts throughout December.

"It started with Stuff the Bus," said Parker. This year, the WMT toy drive took place at Ervin Motors.

G & G auto parts had a tree for customers to place trees under. The Cutting Edge had one too. Many churches and families also collected gifts and brought them to Harvest Valley.

New location needed

The Harvest Valley Ministry has put its old church building -- once the home of its Club G youth outreach -- up for sale. If that building is not available for the Christmas distribution next year, Parker will have to look for a new location.

"We will need a building with a lot of space, for about four weeks. And because of my schedule," said Parker, "we will need a place that I can have access to at various hours."