Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Switchpoint Thrift Store in Tooele is holding a Christmas tree fundraiser.
- Proceeds support community services for homelessness and poverty, including food and shelter.
- Five of nine decorated trees have sold; funds stay local to aid Harris Community Village.
TOOELE — The sight of an extravagantly decorated Christmas tree can help boost the holiday spirit amongst individuals and families alike.
Christmas trees being sold at Switchpoint's Tooele Thrift Store, 34 S. Main, will not only help illuminate living rooms but also support essential community services.
The organization kicked off its "Blessing in the Boughs" fundraiser last month, where people can purchase a lavishly decorated Christmas tree and the proceeds will help people experiencing homelessness and poverty in Tooele.
"This festive event not only brings holiday cheer to local homes — it delivers hope and critical support to neighbors in need," said Dori Wilkinson, volunteer and community engagement coordinator at Switchpoint in Tooele.
Switchpoint, a nonprofit organization operating statewide,says its mission is to connect people experiencing homelessness with access to food, shelter, case management and myriad other supportive services, with the ultimate goal of helping individuals and families achieve housing.
Switchpoint's services in Tooele include a food pantry and an emergency shelter at the Harris Community Village, where individuals dealing with hardships can find warm meals, a warm place to sleep, child care, and much more.
Stacey Bice, manager at Tooele Thrift, said the organization came up with the idea for a fundraiser during the recent government shutdown and federal food aid pause. Bice said more people in the community have turned to their food pantry for help.
"Our food pantry, which is right next door, has, like, tripled the amount of people that have come in and needed food," she said.
Since money generated at the thrift shop helps supplement programs at the resource center, they pulled together previously donated items and ornaments to decorate nine Christmas trees.
The Christmas trees are decked out with different themes, colorful ornaments, stuffed candy canes and animals, among other things — fit for homes or office spaces.
Blessing in the Boughs, which started in mid-November, began a silent auction, where people could bid on the trees, but they decided to change course since people just wanted to purchase them outright.
The trees range in size, from 9½ feet to 6 feet tall. The event started with nine trees, five of which have already been sold. The four remaining trees vary in price.
Each tree purchased helps provide items to stock the food pantry shelves and meet the needs at the Harris Community Village.
"Whatever money we make will stay to help those here," Bice told KSL.com.
Bice said they're hopeful that the remainder of the trees are purchased, but for those who'd like to help in other ways, the organization says they continuously seek donations and people to volunteer in the thrift store, the Tooele Food Pantry and the community soup kitchen.
Wilkinson said every donation matters, whether it provides additional means to supply meals, a meaningful night's sleep or more resources to help people exit homelessness.
"That's why your support funds case management, job training, child care, housing navigation, and all the scaffolding someone needs to move from crisis to stability to independence," she said in a statement.
For anyone interested in purchasing a Christmas tree, the Tooele Thrift store is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
