Christian Center of Park City’s Operation Hope is a mission of love that spreads holiday cheer.It’s the nonprofit’s equivalent to Sub For Santa that provides parents an empowering experience of selecting toys for their children in a Christmas-store setting, said Matt Melville, the nonprofit’s director of programs.“The shopping day for registered families in Summit County is Dec. 11, and our shopping day in Heber City is Dec. 14,” he said. “In the meantime, we are accepting new toy donations for these events.”The community is invited to donate new and unwrapped toys from Nov. 1 through Dec. 10 in bins set up throughout the county, Melville said.Bins are located in places such as Park City Municipal Athletic & Recreation Center (PC MARC) and Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District (Basin Rec.), he said. (See accompanying list)“People can also come to the Christian Center and drop off the toys in our drive-through drop off,” Melville said. “We have special bins for those toys. And toys that are donated after our events will be put in storage to give us a head start for next year.”In addition, the Christian Center will set up a wishlist on Amazon, tinyurl.com/5cd2w52k.The Christian Center accepts toys of all shapes, sizes and prices, according to Melville.“If people are at a loss as to what types of toys to donate, we tell them to ask their kids or grandkids about what they would like for Christmas,” he said. “That usually gives them good insight. A lot of times we noticed that a bigger gift, not necessarily the more expensive, excites the kids and their parents. It’s like the shock and awe of getting something large is more popular than something that is smaller and more expensive.”People are invited to donate more than one gift at a time, as well, Melville said.“That way, kids can get more toys,” he said.The Christian Center held Operation Hope registration in Heber City last week, and more than 345 families turned out, which translates to about 1,000 children, Melville said.The Summit County registration will be on Nov. 30 at the Christian Center, he said.“The program is open to anybody in Wasatch and Summit counties who are in need of financial support,” Melville said. “Faith and religion don’t matter. We’ll help you out if you need it.” Last year Operation Hope served a total of just over 2,100 kids, and the year before that it  served 1,800 kids, according to Melville.Melville said he is grateful for the donors.“This program would not be possible without the donors and supporters,” he said. “The only way this can happen is because we have generous groups and community members who rally behind us.”To prepare for the two Operation Hope Christmas stores, volunteers sort through the donated toys, categorize them and tag them, Melville said.The Wasatch County store will be set up at Wasatch High School, 930 500 East in Heber City,  and the Summit County shop will be raised at Junction Commons (formerly Outlets Park City) at Kimball Junction, Melville said.“We turn the spaces we use into full-on Christmas stores where parents can shop for their kids,” he said. “Doing this empowers the parents by giving them the opportunity to pick out toys that they know their kids will like, rather than having toys given to them.”Melville is thankful to these venues for donating their spaces in the communities the program serves.Both have plenty of parking and are in safe, lighted places,” he said. “That’s good because it gets dark earlier during the holiday season.”Other sponsors include the annual Park City Santa Pub Crawl, a toy drive that is scheduled for Dec. 7, and Mattel Toys.“Mattel was able to come on as a sponsor last year, and they are supporting us again this year,” Melville said.Operation Hope is one of Melville’s favorite programs.“We know the holidays can be such a difficult time for many people,” he said. “Budgets are tight, inflation is high and parents would love to make their kids happy during the holidays, so it’s such a relief to family members who can sign up for this, rely on the community’s support and take a little bit off their shoulders during this difficult and busy time.”While Operation Hope helps families in the community celebrate Christmas, it also gives community members a chance to spread the spirit or the season, Melville said.“We believe that there is so much more to Christmas than gifts, and service is another way to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas,” he said. “We have volunteers help us with setting up, tearing down and sorting and labeling the toys.”Operation Hope also gives the Christian Center a chance to inform the public of its other programs, Melville said.“We provide counseling services, food pantries, basic-needs assistance and thrift stores,” he said. “Our mission is meeting people at their point of need, and that’s what we do through these services.”Operation Hope drop-off and donation pointsAll Christian Center of Park City locations Berkshire Hathaway Educational Advantage F45 Fitness Park City Chamber of Commerce Park City Day School Park City Fit Park City Municipal Athletic & Recreation Center (PC MARC) Pendry Park City Richins Building (Summit County Library Kimball Junction Branch) Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District (Basin Rec.) St. Regis Deer Valley Stein Eriksen Lodge Triumph Geared Solutions Westgate ResortFor information about Operation Hope and how to donate or volunteer, visit ccofpc.org/operation-hope.The post Christian Center invites the public to join the Operation Hope mission appeared first on Park Record.