FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — For many in the Forsyth County area, the holiday season can bring stress, fear, and sadness. The Place of Forsyth is now in its 5th year of trying to remedy that situation.
The non-profit opens up its Holiday House each year in December to help alleviate the extra costs that come with Christmas. Parents who qualify are invited to shop for toys, clothes, and even stocking stuffers using a point scale. The families are then provided with supplies to wrap their gifts before volunteers load the items up into their 'sleighs.'
Monday, Dec. 16th, toys filled the gymnasium of the Freedom Tabernacle church in Cumming for the first day of the week-long shopping event. Just behind the gymnasium, shoppers were able to walk through gift rooms in an organized by ages and gender.
Jacob Granados, the Director of Purposeful Engagement at The Place of Forsyth County, Inc. says they try to focus on instilling self-worth for the shopper, “At the Place, we believe that everyone has a purpose and that everyone needs to be treated with dignity and respect....and that’s how we want our holiday house to work where parents get to choose the toys that their children want.”
The shopping event goes through Thursday, Dec. 19. All items are donated by the community. Last year, the organization provided gifts for over 2,000 children. As Monday morning, staff says they have 600 families pre-qualified to shop in the 2019 Holiday House.
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