Nov. 28, 2022

This paid piece is sponsored by Central Bank.

Angel Metzger doesn’t know the name, or even if it was a boy or girl, but the memory is cemented in her mind, nonetheless.

“Last year, there was teenager who got to shop for the very first time on their own with a gift card that had an amount they’d never had before,” she said. “How do you even measure the dignity that gave that teen?”

Creating a Christmas to remember, no matter what your age, is the goal behind a partnership that has grown with each recent holiday season.

It’s called Sharing Christmas, and it brings together people like Metzger, the compassion director for Ransom Church, with The Community Outreach and businesses such as Central Bank.

This year, for the third consecutive holiday season, Central Bank will match all cash donations, up to $5,000, to Sharing Christmas through Dec. 1.

Central Bank’s Keith Portner with program director Angel Metzger, and Julia, Adrian and Kyler Foltz.

“We feel humbled to help kids and families in our community who are struggling or facing hardships,” senior vice president Keith Portner said. “It takes a collaborative effort to serve the need, and we’re honored to do our part to help.”

The funds will be used to buy gift cards for teens – those who are too old for toys and still enough of a kid to quietly hope for a Christmas gift.

“They get left in the gap, and sometimes they get forgotten about, unfortunately,” Metzger said.

“And the need is definitely higher this year. There’s just a lot more families struggling with inflation, grocery prices and, while their jobs might be paying more, they’re not always able to get the hours they need. That creates a lot of stress on families and, unfortunately, kids often feel that stress too.”

Sharing Christmas collects gifts and gift cards for vulnerable families and sells them at a deeply discounted rate, giving families the pride of purchasing gifts themselves for their kids as they work toward financial sustainability.

On the first and last days of the shop, families of foster children are invited to fill their wish lists for free. If there are excess gift cards donated, they will be given to any child placed in foster care between the end of the shop Dec. 10 and Christmas.

For the past two years combined, Central Bank has raised more than $15,000 toward the Sharing Christmas effort.

This year, you can be part of the effort by stopping into any Central Bank Sioux Falls branch and donating, or you can mail your donation before Dec. 1. Note “Sharing Christmas” on the memo line.

Central Bank locations are open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays at:

• 4900 S. Western Ave.
• 2104 W. 12th St.
• 2500 S. Minnesota Ave.

Remember, the deadline for the fundraising match is Dec. 1.

You also can donate online by clicking here, and Central Bank will match your amount.

If you’d rather donate baby and kids’ toys, click here for information on the need and where to drop off.

“It’s so nice that so many entities collaborate to ensure every family gets what they need this Christmas,” Metzger said.