It was a special day for more than 1,300 low-income elementary school students as they got the chance to go on a shopping spree at one of St. Vincent de Paul’s thrift stores. Divided by grade, the students waited patiently outside the store’s doors chatting animatedly and singing carols until it was their turn to go inside and peruse the thousands of items on display.
The students from Palomino Primary School visited the north Phoenix store, which had been transformed into “Santa’s Workshop” for the day, and could barely contain their excitement.
Accompanied by personal shoppers, the children got into the spirit of giving as they purchased any two store items for the bargain price of $1. The only rule? The items had to be Christmas gifts for parents or siblings.
After deciding what to get, the students got to meet Santa Claus himself and take pictures with him.
Now in its 26th year, the event keeps bringing joy to the students, 90 percent of whom are on subsidized-meal programs. This year, the Phoenix Suns and Century Link are awarding St. Vincent de Paul a $2,000 grant through its Community Assist program to support the event, and DriveTime generously donated children's bikes especially for the event.
As she left with her purchases, Maria, 8, proudly announced her mom would get a big Christmas present from her this year. It was a sentiment shared by all the other kids as well.
