Catholic Charities of Louisville spent the first part of December collecting items for its annual Christmas Drive. Now, volunteers are organizing the items and preparing to welcome clients from four Catholic Charities programs who will go shopping for Christmas presents for themselves and their family members.
The St. Anthony gym part of the Charities’ St. Anthony campus has become a makeshift department store. Winter coats donated by the Knights of Columbus fill a corner, a row of shoes goes down the middle, racks of clothes line the left wall and the back of the room is filled with arts and crafts supplies, toys and games.
It’s estimated that 150 families will be able to shop for gifts. Several shopping carts have been donated for families to use while shopping. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, six people will be allowed inside the gym at a time.
“This year, we really want them to have a sense of dignity and choice,” Toni Flores, a database coordinator and community partner tracker with Catholic Charities, said. “They didn’t get to shop for themselves last year.”
