One tag on the Giving Tree at the Auburn Walmart says simply “Mario DS Game,” “age 6” and “female”
For that unnamed little girl, and all the others, young and not so young, who’ll unwrap the designated gifts, the tags might as well contain all the lights of Christmas.
This local charity has a big heart, and one of the best things about it is that anyone can do their bit to make a better Christmas for people in need.
Just go to Walmart, pick a tag from the tree, shop for the items on the tag and tell the cashier it’s for the Giving Tree. You’ll get a receipt to include with the gift. A Walmart associate will then deliver the gift to the Auburn Parks, Arts and Recreation Department, which will distribute the gifts to kids and seniors most in need in the community.
ACAP Child and Family Services, Auburn Childhaven, Auburn Parks-Specialized Recreation, Auburn Youth Resources, Canterbury House, Latino Friendship Center and Meals on Wheels will nominate the families.
In addition to the Giving Tree at Walmart, Rupert maintains her own Giving Tree at home, which is where the story began in 2006.
“We bought our house and people started bringing us bottles of wine and hostess gifts to our holiday parties,” Diane Rupert said. “So I said instead of doing that, let’s put something toward a needy cause — a giving tree.”
That night the Ruperts collected $3,800 in donations and a new charity was launched.
In 2009, Rupert partnered with the Auburn Rotary Club and Auburn Parks, Arts and Recreation Department to serve more children. This year she expects the donations to top $20,000.
“We buy every child a coat, we buy every child clothing, we buy every child toys. We buy them everything that they ask for on their gift tag, and there’s nothing that we’ve ever left out, shoes, clothes everything. We take care of senior citizens, buy them Meals on Wheels. We don’t discriminate, we take care of them all if they need help,” Rupert said.
Janet Faulkner, store manager at the Auburn Walmart, explained how the superstore got into the act.
“Diane and I talked a couple weeks ago and we were talking about what she was doing, and she said, ‘Why don’t you do a giving tree here?’ From there it sort of grew. What’s so exciting to me is that there’s all genders on it. A lot of people forget the special needs children and the seniors in their homes, and this is great because it touches every single age,” Faulkner said.
