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December is a busy time for everyone. From decorating the house and shopping for presents to preparing Christmas dinner, families dedicate a lot of time and effort to make sure the holidays are special for everybody. But many go above and beyond their own households, donating food, gifts and their time toward local causes to ensure no family gets left behind during the most wonderful time of the year.
One group of Southlake women came together two years ago for that very mission. But unlike St. Nick who appears only once every year, their season of giving lasts all year long.
Working with several other agencies, businesses and partners within the community, The Gifting Project is a volunteer-led organization that provides gifts to those who need them most not just during December, but also on every birthday in between. With their work benefitting over 600 children in the metroplex, their cause is important to them because the kids they serve go to the same schools as their children.
“We have a strong connection to Southlake,” board member Abby Waterstreet says. “Most of our donations come from Southlake, so we want to make sure those kids are experiencing that their community loves, supports and values them. It’s very personal to us.”
Giving Spirits
While The Gifting Project is a relatively new initiative, its members have been active in the community long before its founding. As a former associate with the nonprofit consulting firm M. Gale Associates, Abby has helped several charities in North Texas with their fundraising efforts. One of the biggest fundraisers she helped bring to Southlake was Engel & Volkers’ Holiday Home Tour, which welcomed over 500 guests in five houses fully decked out for the holidays in 2019.
“I had done some fundraising for the PTOs, and a friend asked me to come help with their fundraising,” Abby says. “I started reaching out to people, asking them if they’d be willing to share their homes with us, and it became so successful. It was a great event and everyone had fun, which was really important to me.”
But Abby wasn’t the only one who coordinated philanthropy efforts within Southlake. Fire prevention officer Renni Burt regularly organizes the donation drives at Southlake DPS facilities. She always loved getting an early glimpse at what presents children would receive on Christmas day.
“I loved walking in every morning, seeing what people have dropped off and what would be going to a kid who otherwise wouldn’t have anything,” Renni says. “The excitement was just amazing.”
The rest of the founding members – Shelley Perdue, Lexie Callies, Robyn Daniels, Liz Carlton, Kristi Dyer and Jana Schleif – all were active in other local volunteer initiatives but were looking to have a greater impact.
“Many clients would age out at eighth grade, but teenagers know what they’re not getting,” Lexie says. “They feel left out and they will sacrifice more so that younger kids can have what they don’t. We have to serve high schoolers because they deserve it too. That’s something I really champion.”
All of these ladies crossed paths on many occasions, but in 2021, they decided to branch out and begin their own volunteer initiative together. That was when The Gifting Project was born.
“We really aligned on the importance of serving those kids who slipped through the cracks,” Abby says. “We wanted to reimagine how we focused our efforts and really channel that into supporting the community.”
Small But Mighty
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As a new nonprofit starting from the ground up, Shelley says The Gifting Project’s first year felt intimidating.
“There were other organizations that have been around for much longer, so you don’t really know how people are going to react," Shelley says.
Renni echoed this sentiment, emphasizing just how small their operation really was.
“We literally started with nothing,” Renni says. “All we had was each other, plus $50 that Shelley donated so we could open a bank account.”
Luckily, each other was all this group of miracle workers needed to get started. Utilizing their nonprofit and business connections within Southlake, The Gifting Project organized a robust network of in-kind sponsors who donated gift cards, food and toys to help stock up for the season. While they accepted a decent amount of cash donations, no fundraiser was needed for their first year – all they needed was their friends and word-of-mouth.
“We knew a lot of different people,” Shelley says. “[We all have] a wide reach, so we knew plenty of people who could help.”
One of the ways they helped consolidate their efforts was with their food donations. While most pantries would accept all kinds of food donations, Abby says The Gifting Project simplified their list by limiting it to snacks and non-perishables.
“We didn’t want to be a food pantry when there were other food pantries that were more equipped,” Abby says. “We tried to keep it kid-focused and fun as opposed to staples or basic needs. We looked for cookie mix, hot cocoa, fruit snacks, granola bars, cereal – stuff they can use for snacks when they’re out for Christmas break.”
By the time January came around, The Gifting Project had provided gift bags to over 550 children in Tarrant County – and they’ve only grown from there.
“We never said ‘no’ to anything,” Abby says. “Whatever the community could support, we would facilitate. We worked with what we had.”
Making A List
The Gifting Project begins like the holiday season does through the eyes of children – by making a list. Starting in September, the organization sends wish list forms to local agencies so they can share them with kids ages 3-18 who are either at or below the poverty line.
“People are surprised around 95% of the time when I tell them,” Lexie says. “It’s very small, but they are still there.”
After they get the wish lists back, The Gifting Project will review the lists and pass them off to school PTOs to begin shopping for the child. Once they’ve received the gifts, they check the list twice to ensure every present is accounted for. If there’s an item that’s missing, one of these ladies will make an extra trip to the store to get it.
“We get so many gift cards, so if a child got a wrong item, then we can use those donated gift cards to go and shop for that child and put it in their bag,” Liz says. “After that, we open every single bag, organize the gifts and check everything off.”
When they’re not busy during December, The Gifting Project is also organizing gift bags for children through their birthday project, which they introduced in fall 2022.
“One thing we wanted to ensure is that we did things year-round – that’s why we started the birthday project,” Lexie says. “These kids want something fun and special on their birthday, so we put together these bags that have candy, cookies and two gift cards so they can buy themselves gifts. The kids love it. It just makes them feel special because it’s always unexpected.”
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A Gift From Everyone
The ladies behind The Gifting Project never see the children their bags go to. Every December, they hand them off to their agency liaison, who ensures their bags get properly delivered one by one.
What they do receive are handwritten thank-you messages, and those serve as affirmations for all of their hard work.
“Sometimes we’ll get a note back from a family saying how amazing it was and how grateful they are,” Shelley says. “That fuels us and feeds us to do this kind of work. We just have to rely on that and have faith that it went to the family who needed it most.”
A like-minded Lexie agrees, emphasizing that you don’t have to see the children to know you’re doing something to help them.
“In years past, we’ve heard people say that children love getting their food bags this time of year because it’s the one time of the year when they don’t see the back of a pantry,” Lexie says. “The ability to give that to children who might not be able to experience that otherwise is amazing. That’s one of those things that sticks with you.”
For Abby, The Gifting Project doesn’t just give presents to children.
“For me, what we’re providing most for these kids is making sure that they know that they are worthy and that they are loved,” Abby says. “That’s the best gift you can give anyone.”
After bringing back the Holiday Home Tour with Engel & Völkers following a four-year hiatus, The Gifting Project has even more exciting expansions on the horizon, including branching out into surrounding school districts and introducing a back-to-school drive. Until then, their focus remains on the same people they’ve served since day one – the children.