Shopping for others 2025

Name: Shopping for others 2025
Start: 2025-12-20T13:00:00-05:00
Location: Walmart Niles - S 11th St

Schedule

Sat, 20 Dec, 2025 at 01:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

Walmart Niles - S 11th St | Niles, MI

When I was a kid, my mom pulled off holidays like it was magic.
I didn’t know until much later that sometimes that “magic” came from desperation, creativity, and pure love. There were years when she rewrapped toys we already owned just so there would be something to unwrap. A book I’d already read, a long-lost toy, a puzzle that had seen better days. Somehow, on those mornings, they all felt brand new again because she made it feel that way.
I never knew what it cost her. Not just the money, but the emotional weight of wanting to give more and not being able to.
Not until I became a dad myself did I understand that quiet heartbreak of wanting your kids to feel the same holiday joy you remember while wondering how you’re going to pull it off this year.
This will be my first holiday season without her, and I’ve been thinking a lot about how she made something out of nothing — and how many parents are still out there doing exactly that. That memory is what started Shopping for Others back in 2008, one small act of paying it forward for families like ours.
One family turned into three, three turned into five, and now, all these years later, it’s a tradition that continues to grow.
Every December, we come together to help families who are doing things right and still coming up short.
Single parents, grandparents raising kids, veterans, and working families who just need a little help to keep the magic alive.
This year, we’re focusing on ten local families with kids still in that “Santa’s real and he knows my name” age range — the magic years.
Our goal is $5,000, which will cover:
• Gifts, toys, and clothes for the families
• Essentials like socks and winter wear
• A little joy for parents who could use one less worry
Any funds or items beyond that will go toward socks and sundries for veterans at the Robert R. Miller Veterans Center in South Bend.
On Saturday, December 20 at 1 PM, we’ll hold our Shopping for Others 2025 event at the Walmart in Niles, Michigan to finish buying and sorting anything left on the lists.
After that, we’ll make deliveries before Christmas Day to ensure every family has gifts under the tree in time.
Kids notice more than we think.
They don’t understand bills or budgets. They understand Santa.
When Santa skips their house, year after year, they start to wonder if maybe they did something wrong.
Maybe poor kids are bad kids.
Maybe they didn’t earn Christmas.
That’s what we’re fighting against — that quiet, invisible heartbreak.
Fred Rogers once said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”
Well, look at us.
We are the helpers now.
Every dollar you give turns directly into something real — a gift, a meal, a moment of relief.
No red tape. No middleman. Just people helping people.
The families we help aren’t lazy or irresponsible. They’re the people you stand next to at the grocery store or wave to in traffic. They’re working parents doing the right thing and still coming up short because life doesn’t care how hard you’re trying.
Most of them don’t ask for help. Someone else quietly tells us their story. When we show up with gifts, food, and that spark of holiday magic, the weight you see lift off their shoulders is something to behold. For the kids, it’s proof that Santa didn’t forget them. For the parents, it’s a moment to breathe, to feel seen, to know that their community still believes in kindness, not judgment.
If you’re considering donating, know this: every single dollar turns into something real. A warm coat. A toy that lights up a kid’s face. A moment of peace for a parent who’s been holding it together all year.
You’re not just giving a gift. You’re helping rewrite a memory. You’re reminding people that they aren’t alone. And honestly, that might be the best gift any of us can give.
The shopping event at Walmart in Niles is where the magic really happens. Volunteers grab carts, check off lists, and turn donations into something tangible — toys, clothes, winter gear, and that little extra joy every family deserves.
After the shopping’s done, we head back to sort everything and start deliveries so each family has their gifts before Christmas morning. It’s chaotic, loud, funny, and beautiful — a little pre-holiday party for the helpers. The kind of day that reminds you what community is supposed to feel like.
To everyone who donates, shops, wraps, or just shares the story, thank you. You’re part of something that started with one mom trying to make holidays out of nothing and has grown into a community that makes sure no child goes without a little magic.
This is how we honor her.
This is how we keep the spirit alive.
We are the helpers now.

How to Help:
GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/a06f4479c
Amazon Gift List: https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/2NN607CH9HQZ5?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_ggr-subnav-share_CV7NDVCC9TREMB24Y1T9
Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/Bruce-Reith
CashApp: https://cash.app/$BruceReith