Stuff the Bus for The Christmas Place

Monday, 24 November 2025 06:59

Heart FM will be collecting donations for The Christmas Place and the Salvation Army over the next two weeks.

WOODSTOCK - Donations are now being accepted for the Christmas Place.

The program is run by Operation Sharing each year to make sure everyone will have something under the tree on Christmas morning.

Coordinator Kathy Gardiner says they're looking for gift donations for all ages.

"We serve anybody from newborn right until 18-years-old. If we see some moms to be come in, we also have baby packs available to give out. Also for Moms and Dads because when the kids come back to shop they are picking out gifts for their siblings and their parents."

Gardiner says families in need will be able to shop through the donated gifts at significantly reduced prices.

"For anything up to $15 we charge $1, for anything $15 to $25 dollars we charge $2, and for any gifts over a $25 value we will charge $3. Each parent is allowed to spend $4 per child, but leave with gifts in excess of $80 to $100."

The Christmas Place is located at Huron Park Baptist Church and donations can be dropped off anytime between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, or between 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Heart FM is also launching it's Stuff the Bus campaign today, collecting gifts for The Christmas Place and non-perishable food items for The Salvation Army. Donations can be dropped off at 223 Norwich Ave anytime between 9:00 a.m. on 5:00 p.m. on weekdays. Donations can also be dropped off during one of our many live on-location broadcasts scheduled over the next few weeks. The Stuff the Bus Campaign will end on December 5th and you can find more information online here.

Families in need who would like to shop at the Christmas Place this holiday season can visit a local church or community agency to pick up a registration form. The form will have a link to a website where you can sign up. It will ask you questions about how many children you have, their ages, and their sizes so they can received a set of pajamas from Power of Hope.

It will also ask you if you require food assistance over the holidays, and redirect you to the Salvation Army website if need be. Those who sign up for food assistance and successfully register for The Christmas Place will be assigned one of three shopping days; Tuesday December 9th, Wednesday December 10th, and Thursday December 11th. The Christmas Place will close its doors for the holiday season after the kids shopping day on Saturday December 13th.

You can visit The Christmas Place Facebook page for more information regarding the program.

Kathy Gardiner stopped by the Heart FM studio to chat with Dan and Marcie about The Christmas Place and its history in Oxford County. You can listen to the full interview below: