The Lewis County Foster Parent Association (LCFPA) is once again teaming up with local businesses and organizations to collect gifts and monetary donations for foster, kinship and adoptive families in need for the Christmas season.
LCFPA has put together a Christmas donation event for over 20 years. This year, the organization has drop-off boxes available at Centralia Christian Church, The Chronicle office in Centralia, Centerville Cafe in Centralia, I-5 Toyota in Chehalis, and Let’s Play Something in Centralia.
LCFPA is collecting both gifts and monetary donations to spread holiday cheer to between 120 and 160 children in foster care. All cash donations will be converted to gift cards or used to purchase specialized gifts.
Additionally, McMenamins Olympic Club will host its fourth annual Tots for Toys event on Dec. 11, when attendees can bring a new, unwrapped toy for a child in the Centralia area in exchange for a free basket of tater tots. Santa Claus will make an appearance at 5 p.m, and attendees can enjoy live music from 6 to 8 p.m.
LCFPA supports children aged newborn to 18 years old, according to volunteer Jamie Muir.
“There’s no donation too small. It all goes to support kids in our community. I’m always amazed by how Lewis County turns out,” Muir said. “The way Lewis County is able to wrap themselves around these kiddos that become part of us… we support them, we educate them, and so I’m always impressed with the people here.”
Muir began volunteering with the LCFPA in 2020, three years after she became a foster parent. She fully adopted two girls in 2020. Muir recalled attending the donation event after receiving a flyer, and the support from the community made a mark on her and her family.
“I remember being blown away as a first timer thinking I was going to get a toy for my kiddos and walking out of there with a bag full of toys and clothes that I was taking home to wrap up for these kids,” Muir said. “I couldn’t believe that this existed, and then I ended up going the next two years, and in 2020, once I adopted, I became a volunteer.”
LCFPA has gift tags with age-specific items and sizes for residents interested in putting up a giving tree in a local business, church or school. Gifts can be mailed directly to the LCFPA at P.O. Box 202, Onalaska, 98570. Larger gifts that can’t be delivered to a P.O. box can be mailed or dropped off to Centralia Christian Church at 1215 W Main St., Centralia.
For more information, specific gift ideas or to make a donation or arrange for pickup, contact Deedee Brossard at 360-388-7587 or dbrossard@comcast.net.
The LCFPA exists to support local foster, kinship and adoptive parents, as well as the children in their care. For more information, visit the LCFPA Facebook page at https://tinyurl.com/5dkcakcd.
