With more children then usual on the Island Market Giving Tree this year and fewer people able to give, as late as Dec. 16 it looked like some might not get a holiday gift. When Belinda Landon looked at the tree there were still 24 tags left. Last year, 117 children had requested and been given gifts. This year, the tree held 174 names.

Landon felt that everyone should get something.

“I came back to Vern’s and told the other employees about the 24 kids still left on the tree,” Landon said. “I told them I was going to give up my Christmas bonus of $75 and asked if any of the others would like to pitch in. All 14 of the other employees said ‘you got it.’ But, we still needed more.”

They asked customers to help out and were delighted with the response, as they were given $50 and $100 dollar bills. Vern’s Bayside co-worker Teena Martin had the idea of calling others in the community to raise the rest of the money. After several hours on the phone she met the goal with money from local businesses and individuals.

Landon called Amber Minnis with Kaleidoscope Pre-School and Childcare Center, one of the organizers of the Giving Tree, with the good news that they had raised the money, but had no way to purchase the gifts and wondered if gift cards would be okay. Minnis went to work and found volunteers to do the shopping and wrapped the presents with the $2400 that Landon and her group had raised.

Within days the Giving Tree was bare of tags, the money was raised and spent and the gifts were wrapped and waiting to be opened on Christmas Day.

“This is what Christmas is supposed to be about,” Landon said. I just knew we had to make sure all those kids had gifts. It wouldn’t be right for some to have and some not to have gifts for Christmas.”