Thursday was the last day the Christmas Bureau was open, and Vincent Lozano wasn’t about to miss it.

“We were out of town for a few days because I had surgery in Seattle,” he said. “We can’t miss this.”

Lozano came to pick up gifts for his three children ranging in age from 7 to 13 while his wife was at work. He is out of work while he recovers from his surgery, making money tight. “I’ll be off for a month and a half, so this is really helping,” he said.

Tabitha Ries was there for her six children, ranging in age from 1 to 17. She recalls finding out about the Christmas Bureau when her oldest was a baby. At the time, she worked for a local pizza restaurant that was delivering a large number of pizzas to the Christmas Bureau volunteers on a day when they were setting up. The woman who gave her a generous tip urged her to come back when the Bureau was open, and Ries did. She’s been a regular ever since.

“It really helps out,” she said. “There’s been years I literally haven’t been able to afford to put anything under the tree.”

Ries said she’s grateful for the help and appreciates the community support for the Bureau.

Some repeat recipients likely noticed a change in the grocery vouchers this year. In prior years, voucher amounts ranged from $15 to $30 depending on the size of the family, but changes were made this year in recognition of inflation-driven food prices, said Christmas Bureau Coordinator Heidi Meany.

“We made the decision to make it $30 across the board,” she said. “One of the reasons we did it that way is we believe it’s sustainable. We looked carefully at the numbers.”

High prices also caused organizers to raise this year’s fundraising goal to $600,000 to pay for the increases. “The cost of the toys has increased and the cost of storing the toys has gone up, even with our discounts,” Meany said. “This was our best way to help the most number of people.”

The change had the biggest impact on single adults, who used to receive $15. That $15 no longer goes very far at the store, and a $30 voucher should help, Meany said. “For them, this was a huge increase,” she said.

Donations

The Christmas Bureau may be closed for the year, but the task of raising money to pay for it all remains. New donations of $5,425 have brought the year-to-date total of $325,248.08, getting closer to the goal of $600,000.

Wagstaff Inc. donated $2,500. “Thank you for your contribution to the community,” wrote Barbara Parkes.

David Epperson gave $500 via PayPal. Mark and Kathleen Casey, of Spokane, sent $400.

Joe and Jeanie Hensley, of Spokane, gave $300. “May the holidays sparkle with joy and laughter and love!” they wrote. Amy Flowers sent $300 via PayPal, writing “Thank you Christmas Bureau for your work to give hope to families. This donation is in honor of my parents, Ben and Judy Flowers. In this challenging year, grateful for their grit and grace and their health. In every thing give thanks.” Jacob Parks contributed $300 via PayPal.

Bud and Diane Nameck donated $250 via PayPal “in memory of Mike Hair.”

Jill and Jerry Skogstad, of Spokane, donated $100. Vickie Borer, of Spokane, gave $100. The Price family sent $100 via PayPal, writing, “A donation on behalf of our mother and grandmother, Mary Flynn, who embodies the true spirit of Christmas.” The Price family also contributed $100 via PayPal, writing “A donation on behalf of our brother and awesome uncle, David Flynn, whose generosity is without limits.”

Ann Williams donated $100 via PayPal, as did Dean Nagel and John Cooper. Mark Taylor, of Spokane, sent $100.

Jessie Horner gave $75 via PayPal, writing, “Thank you for the hard work and organizing to put this together for regional families.”