Natomas Firm Gifts Toys To Shelter

EMPLOYEE LANCE COPELAND & ST. JOHN’S COORDINATOR SARA AMIN

 
THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz

A Natomas-based marketing firm held an employee gift exchange for the holidays – and then gave all the presents away.

Torus Marketing held their annual Christmas gift exchange earlier this month, but in lieu of typical co-worker gifts such as coffee cups or gift cards, each gift-giver bought a toy the recipient would have liked as a child. All toys were then donated by Torus employees to St. John’s Shelter Program for Women and Children in Sacramento.

“It’s so much fun picking out our favorite types of toys from childhood to give to each other,” said Kathryn Baird, director of integrated media for Torus Marketing. “The best part is knowing these toys, the ones we would have loved as kids, will go to some well-deserving families for Christmas.”

St. John’s Shelter was established in 1985 by St. John’s Lutheran Church to provide emergency shelter for homeless women with children. In 2004, St. John’s moved to a larger facility and is now able to provide daily 24-hour comprehensive services to homeless women and children for up to 90 days. Services include mental health counseling, drug and alcohol recovery programs, employment services, housing services, parenting classes, financial management classes, and self-development classes.

“We have 50 families at the shelter right now,” said Sara Amin, volunteer coordinator with St. John’s. “When groups like Torus Marketing donate gifts to these children – kids who may not have had a gift to open in a long time – it really makes their Christmas as special as possible.”