FAIRBURY, Neb. - They’ve spent all month collecting toys and other items as gifts from local shoppers, and this week Jefferson County first responders and a local social services group teamed up to create a one-stop "shop" for local families to pick up some last-minute gifts for their kids.  

On Tuesday night, toys and gifts of all kinds dotted tables at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds’ 4H building, the final stage of a month-long program to provide gifts and other essential items for local families in need this holiday season.  

For the last half dozen years, first responders in the area – such as the sheriff’s department, the fire department and EMS – have teamed up with social service org Blue Valley Community Action to collect toys and other items from shoppers at the Fairbury Walmart, starting around Thanksgiving.  

“They go stand outside in the elements and collect gifts and toys from shoppers going in and out of Walmart,” said Ryan Bailey, BVCA’s Family Community Services Director. “They do this a few times between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and whatever they’ve collected they bring here, and we put everything out. We have tons of volunteers that come help, and we invite families to come in and ‘shop’ for their kids for Christmas.” 

A few weeks later, this toy giveaway is the final stage of that month-long collection process. At 4 PM, 18 tables were packed with toys, games, blankets and other essential items – but less than 90 minutes later, so many people had come through that many of those tables were completely emptied out.  

“You never know what [items] you’re going to get, and every year, the community is just really generous, and we get a lot of stuff. We’ve got a lot of really nice stuff to give out,” Bailey said. 

In addition to all the items families could peruse on the tables, many big-ticket items were on offer that every participating family could win through a raffle. The highlight of the night for the people working – getting to call those families to tell them they had won one extra special gift to give away this year.  

Thanks to the work of these organizations a about dozen volunteers, who were on hand Tuesday to help set up the tables, package and bag gifts, and dole out the auction items, more than 70 households and families and close to 200 children were served, giving countless people access to presents they may not have been able to get, or to give, otherwise. 

“We’re really lucky to have such a good community, and people just come together for things like this. And when it comes to kids – everyone wants kids to have a good Christmas,” Bailey said. 

At the end of the night, any items left over are either donated to the fire department to be given to people in the midst of a tragedy, or they’re held onto, to be used as gifts in a Christmas yet to come.