Holiday Shop
runs on the spirit of the season

By Trudy Balcom

The holiday spirit can be felt on the streets of the tiny village of St Olaf when the Holiday Shop opens. For hundreds of
people from around Clayton County, this is an event not to be missed. Because missing out on Holiday Shop could
mean a very lean Christmas.

Holiday Shop, organized by Clayton County Food Shelf and Shepherd of the Hills Ministry, offers needy families an
opportunity to pick up some of the items that will help make Christmas bright—food for a holiday meal, clothing, toys,
coats and hats and much more.

This year the Holiday Shop is 23 years old. It was originally organized in 1986 by the Clayton County Department of
Human Services and was held in Elkader until 1989 when it was moved to St. Olaf.

To participate in the Holiday Shop a family must have
minor children in the household and be placed on a list.
The list is created with the names of families that are
recommended by pastors, teachers, social workers or
other community leaders throughout the county who see
families in need and fill out a Holiday Shop form. The list is
compiled in October, and donations are gathered
up through the Christmas season.

According to Utoni Ruff, supervisor of the Clayton
County Food Shelf, there were 200 families on the Holiday Shop list
this year, up from about 180 last year.

Two separate operations—one for food and one for clothing and other merchandise—occupy two different locations in
town. This year the Holiday Shop was held on Dec. 16-17.

Families check in and receive their referrals for the Holiday Shop at the St. Olaf Civic Center. They then take those
passes to the St. Olaf Auditorium, where the clothing and toy shopping area is set up.
 

Volunteer personal shoppers wearing Santa hats assist each customer, helping them find what they need. The shop has
clothing, coats, boots, hats and gloves for all ages from infants to young adults, boys and girls. There are a variety of
donated toys and sporting goods including sleds, dolls and toy trucks. Pillows, towels and household linens are also available.
The shop may run out of a popular item, or may not have enough different sizes of clothing to fit everyone.

All items are new, purchased by donors for the holiday shop. Items are donated by both individuals and businesses
and many others. When clients are done Christmas shopping,  They can go up to the Clayton County Food Shelf located at
Shepherd of the Hills Ministry, just up the hill, to get groceries.

Families receive a sack of groceries that include some staple items such as breakfast cereal and macaroni and cheese, but also some special Christmas items including fresh fruit, eggs, rolls, butter, milk, potatoes and a ham or a turkey. Ground venison
from the HUSH Program is also distributed. Several cases of acorn squash appeared for distribution as well.

Larger families receive more, smaller families less. An additional 35 households without children will also receive a holiday
food donation.

Much of the food for the Holiday Shop is donated and some is purchased at reduced rates Organizations from through
ut the county donate items. Marion Lutheran Church in Gunder and Norway Lutheran in St. Olaf donate sugar and flour, First
Congregational Church of Elkader donates hams, River Park Cruisers car club in Guttenberg donates turkeys. Swiss Valley
donates milk, and there are other donors as well such as an Elgin family that donates all of the potatoes.

The Holiday Shop requires hundreds of hours of volunteer time to organize and operate.
   

Volunteers spend two days setting up the clothing and merchandise shop, and then it has to be dismantled afterward.
Dry goods groceries must be sorted and sacked days in advance of distribution.

Part of the task of organizing the event involves finding space to put all of the items distributed, especially perishible items.
Where do you store 300 dozen eggs? Ruff says that she gets temporary use of walk-in cooler space from Swiss Valley in St.
Olaf, as well as donated locker space from Johnson’s Reception Hall in Elkader.

Families in need are not the
only ones who get something
from participating in Holiday
Shop. Volunteers enjoy a feeling
of satisfaction in helping others,
and they learn something about the needs of people in the county. On Dec. 17,
about 10 volunteers assisted
with the grocery operation, and
about 16 worked in the clothing
and merchandise shop. Volunteers come from all across the county, and some have worked at the Holiday Shop for
10 years or more.

  “This gets our hearts ready for Christmas, explained one volunteer.

“You learn things, like how amazing it is that people can put up with tough times and still smile,” said another.

Karen Pittman, a volunteer from Elkader, only planned to work one day at the clothing and merchandise Holiday Shop.

“I was only going to come the one day, but it gets kind of addictive,” she explained.

It’s easy not to see those who need help, she noted.

“You kind of put your blinders on. But then a woman told me yesterday that her child had never had a pillow, and that got
to me,” she said.