Island Alpaca helps Red Stocking, Food Pantry

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This holiday season, Island Alpaca farm is collecting donations of gifts for needy children, or non-perishable foods (value of $10 or more) at the farm, now until December 24. Bring your unwrapped gift, or buy one at the Island Alpaca Farm Store.

With every donation, Island Alpaca will enter a ticket to win either a $100 or $50 gift certificate to the Island Alpaca Farm Store. Drawings for the winners will be held on December 24.

Close to 300 children from more than 175 families receive food and gifts through the Red Stocking Fund, and the list grows every year. Confidentiality is critical to the operation. Parents provide a list of their children’s most-needed clothing and hoped-for toys. Each child is then assigned an identification number that allows volunteers to match the right gift packages with the right people. Each package includes several major items of clothing, such as a jacket or sweater, in addition to socks, hats, mittens, and toys.

In mid-December a group of volunteers gathers in the Parish Hall and Nave of Grace Church to begin wrapping gifts, making sure that children waking up on Christmas morning find colorful packages adorned with ribbons and bows.

Island Alpaca Farm, 1 Head of the Pond Road, Oak Bluffs. Open year-round; daily from 11 am to 5 pm until December 24. 508-693-5554; islandalpaca.com.