Nazarene Church toy swap brings needed Christmas joy

WARDEN — The Moses Lake Nazarene Church’s toy swap was scheduled for two hours Sunday afternoon, but it didn’t last nearly that long. 

“People were lined up from 1 o’clock on,” said Kaleigh Sullivan, who organized the event.  

“We opened the doors right at three,” said volunteer Kristin Krueger. “So within 30 minutes it’s all gone.” 

Between 10 and 15 families made the drive out to U-Rock Ranch north of Warden to find presents for their children. Sullivan wasn’t certain exactly how many, because some may have carpooled together. 

“We don’t limit families because we don’t know what’s going on in their lives,” Sullivan said. “People experiencing homelessness, people whose entire house burned down and they have nothing, so they’re starting over … I had a grandma (who) also has young children at home, so she’s shopping for her grandchildren as well as her children.”

This is the second year the Nazarene Church has offered toys to families in need, Sullivan said. The toys have been building up at the church since November, donated by church members but also by other folks who just wanted to help. Some of the toys were new, some were gently used. 

“Most toy drives are all new toys, which is wonderful,” Sullivan said. “Every child deserves a new toy, right? But this is a way that anybody, regardless of their financial standing, can help support one another.” 

There were many more volunteers lined up to help, Sullivan said, but a bug has been going around and several of them were under the weather. Sunday’s event was handled by Sullivan and Krueger, with help from Moses Lake Christian Academy student Ellie Robertson, and U-Rock Ranch owner Jamie Deering, who also donated the use of her barn for the swap.  

Things like the toy swap are the whole reason she opened her event venue, Deering said. 

“When I remodeled this barn, I wanted to have an event center for the community,” she said. “So I have the facility to host events like this, nonprofit fundraisers, things like that. The Lord laid it on my heart five years ago and that’s what I’ve been doing ever since.” 

Sullivan and her husband, Moses Lake Nazarene Church Pastor Peter Sullivan, have been in town for almost two years. She feels a call to contribute this way, she said, because the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Christmas gift program came through for her when she was a child. 

“I was an Angel Tree kid, but I didn’t know I was an Angel Tree kid,” she said. “I always wanted to help other children, but we didn’t have the funds to do that.” 

Holding the swap just a few days before Christmas meant families who were down to the wire could take part, Sullivan said. 

“I think people are really feeling it this year,” she said. “The cost of living is what it is and it’s just getting harder and harder. I kept seeing ‘I missed the deadline for the … different organizations,’ so I sent them a link (to the toy swap).” 

Nikki Major came to get presents for her 2-year-old daughter, she said. 

“My daughter and I are facing some really tough times right now,” she said. “Up until seeing the (social media) post, I kind of convinced myself, ‘It’s OK, Mama, if you can’t provide the Christmas for your daughter that you would really like to … Then I saw the post about this toy giveaway and I started getting teary-eyed immediately.” 

Major had run low on gas getting to the ranch, she said, and Deering put some in her tank to get home on. 

“These ladies were so helpful and on top of it, as far as wanting to help people,” she said. “Nothing in return, no expectations. It’s a very rare thing to find in people these days.” 

    Parents and children look through the toys and books at the Moses Lake Nazarene Church toy swap Sunday.