Organizers of the 12th annual Giving Tree charitable drive, through which food and holiday gifts are collected for Ames-area homeless children, are seeking volunteers to help at its final two public events this week.

The first of the coming events will start at 9 a.m. Monday in the Gerdin Business Building. Food donated by College of Business faculty and staff will be taken from the college’s administrative office to Conference Room 107 in Lab of Mechanics.

At the second event, also set to take place in Conference Room 107, organizers and volunteers will wrap all donated gifts.

A new alliance

This year, Giving Tree organizers from the ISU Faculty Senate and Ames Community School District have had a new partner: the Ames-ISU YWCA. The organization took over Giving Tree duties from the Ames-ISU YMCA chapter, which no longer exists.

Angela Merrick, Ames-ISU YWCA executive director, said the drive’s success would depend on high volunteer turnout.

“I’m hoping to see at least 20 to 30 volunteers,” Merrick said. “We need volunteers so badly, because it’s too much work for just our staff.”

Merrick encouraged volunteers to bring extra tape and scissors to the wrapping event, as they probably will be needed.

The coalition has been collecting gifts, food and cash for this year’s drive since mid-November, attracting donations with artificial trees at four different campus sites. Placed in Lab of Mechanics, Hamilton Hall, Agronomy Hall and the College of Veterinary Medicine, each bore tags with the names of items children had requested. Organizers encouraged donors to buy listed items and place them around the tree for collection.

“We have received everything from underwear and socks to bicycles,” Merrick said. “It depends on what the child asks for and what they need.”

In a post-interview email, she estimated the value of all donated gifts and food combined to be between $15,000 and $20,000.

Hy-Vee was among the donors that gave food, contributing 23 turkeys.

Merrick said that even though official gift collection for the drive had ended, volunteers wanting to donate further gifts could do so through Monday afternoon.

The items collected will be distributed to Ames Community School District counselors, who will deliver the gifts and food to children this Friday.

Helping the homeless

The children set to receive the gifts are drawn from a list counselors made earlier this year. Sherri Angstrom, ISU Faculty Senate secretary, said those on the list — who numbered more than 90 on Saturday — all met the school district’s criteria for homelessness.

“We’ve had some living in cars,” she said.

Angstrom said children categorized as “homeless” did not necessarily live on the street, but all lacked permanent housing.

“When they classify them as homeless, they may be in temporary housing [or] foster care,” she said. “They may be with their families, but it may be in a temporary apartment. Lots of them are living in a hotel room.”

Angstrom was confident that at least 100 children would benefit from the drive by its end.

“A lot of times, the counselors will say, ‘Hey, we have a couple more families. Do you have any more money we can redistribute?'” she said. “In the ultimate end, it probably will be 100.”

Angstrom said the volume of donations has demonstrated the generosity of ISU students, faculty and staff.

“The people are just fantastic, and the spirit of giving is amazing.”