Potsdam Holiday Fund has Giving Trees set up at 40 local businesses

POTSDAM — The Potsdam Holiday Fund announced that 40 businesses have set up Giving Trees to benefit children in need in Potsdam and surrounding communities.

The Giving Trees are decorated with red and white diamond-shaped tags labeled with boy or girl, and the age of a child in need. The Potsdam Holiday Fund serves families with children from pre-birth to age 17.

Individuals who would like to help are asked to help “undecorate” the tree by taking a tag, purchasing a gift for the child, and returning it unwrapped with the tag to a Giving Tree before December 14.

Participation in the Giving Tree program is a fun holiday activity for families and their children, who can learn important sharing lessons while also helping to choose gifts that are popular with children their own age.

Generally, there are plenty of gifts donated for toddlers, but not too many gifts are donated for the older children in the program. Based on past years, program volunteers offer the following suggestions for gifts for older children (ages 13-17):

For boys: Lego, Star Wars, Mindcraft, Pokémon, scientific games, remote control cars/helicopters, skateboards, shaving kits and rocket kits.

For girls: makeup, nail polish, purses, perfume, crafts, hair accessories, adult coloring books, infinity scarfs, jewelry/makeup organizers

For either boys or girls: PJs (tops and bottoms), electronics (headphones, hand-held games), books, sporting goods (balls, bats, gloves, nets, sleds, snow shoes, water bottles, etc.), character T-shirts, trick puzzles, and gift cards (movies, bowling, hair, nails).

Giving Trees are located at many local businesses in Potsdam.

For more information, visit potsdamholidayfund.org.