The six-foot artificial evergreen tree in the Fellowship Hall holds more than paper tags. It’s a symbol of hope for families in need to receive Christmas gifts for their children and an opportunity for families to volunteer and discover “the reason for the season”. Now in its 29th year, the Holy Trinity Sharing Tree is a mission with a strong history that continues today, thanks to an army of Christmas Angels.
In the Beginning
Deep in the Holy Trinity archives, Office Manager Jamie Bisek discovered the Sharing Tree began in 1992 under the direction of the Christian Life & Growth Team, led by Sue Harris. When Mary Hanson-Busch joined Holy Trinity in 1993, she was drawn to the generosity of the group. “Seeing so many people coming together to sponsor local families is gratifying.” Busch recalls the Sunday School offering being used to purchase winter gear and the Sharing Tree tags had toy ideas for the Santa Anonymous program. “Sue would bring in all of the snowsuits for the Sunday School to see what was bought.”
Busch eventually took over the Sharing Tree Coordinator position after Harris moved, a job that took many volunteers and hours. Initially working with both Scott and Le Sueur county agencies to find families in need, Holy Trinity’s Sharing Tree was sponsoring over 300 families. Busch remembers, “We would pile all of the items over the collection [period] and spend one full day, with many helpers, matching and sorting gifts. Volunteers got the [gift] bags to the sites each county had.” Shortly after that season, Holy Trinity worked solely with the Le Sueur County Adopt-a-Family and Santa Anonymous agencies.
LuAnn Leach’s involvement with Le Sueur County Santa Anonymous stems back to its inception in 1977 where they served 165 elementary aged children. At its height in the late 1980’s, Santa Anonymous provided gifts for almost 1000 children a year. Leech reports, “Since 2012, we have worked closely with Adopt-A-Family to avoid duplication of gifts; they focus on clothing and Santa Anonymous on toys. We now serve about 240 families with about 580 children. Typically, 85-90 families per year are ‘new’, so we know Le Sueur county residents continue to struggle economically.”
In recent years, Holy Trinity supported Le Sueur County families through the Santa Anonymous program, led by Leach and the Sharing Tree, coordinated by Busch and Julie Popple. The Sharing Tree evolved to meet the needs of the county, and narrowed its focus to the Adopt-a-Family program to collect clothing and winter gear.
This year, the efforts of all three women are combining and Holy Trinity is partnering with Le Sueur County Santa Anonymous to provide toys for families.
Christmas Angels
Lydia & Ellen Popple ~ 2004
The Sharing Tree’s volunteer-driven mission runs like a well-oiled machine, thanks to angels (in human form) Busch, Popple and Leach. Popple’s connection goes back to 2004 as she was looking for ways to get more involved at church with her two young children. She recalls, “From the time our daughters were 3 and 1, they helped me pack the bags with clothes and toys and eventually became old enough to actually be helpful. Our project time together was a perfect opportunity to share with the girls that everyone experiences times of need and opportunities for generous giving. The Sharing Tree project serves as our annual reminder to respond with faith in scarcity and abundance. It continues to be one of our favorite parts of the Christmas season.”
Leach also has fond memories of her children helping her shop for Santa Anonymous gifts. “My 2nd daughter was 3-weeks-old, in an infant seat, with me at the first [Santa Anonymous] shop. My three kids grew up helping [me] shop and now I have grandchildren [helping me]. Understanding the true meaning of Christmas, as well as experiencing gratitude and humility, are lifelong behaviors I hope for in my family.”
The Empty Tree
2018
2019
When the Sharing Tree pops up in mid-November, the tags are often gone by Thanksgiving (as was the case in 2018 and 2019). The empty tree not only signifies the generosity that is woven into the fabric of Holy Trinity, but also and more importantly, families in need will have Christmas presents for their children. Leach consistently hears the phrase “without these gifts, we would not have Christmas” as she delivers Santa Anonymous gifts. After taking a hiatus in 2020*, the Sharing Tree returned with 35 tags. Each tag has two gift ideas for one child. One tag remains with a week to go before Thanksgiving.
Let all that you do be done in love (1 Corinthians 16:14). Thank you, Holy Trinity, for your continued support of the Sharing Tree!
*Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the closure of the church building, the Sharing Tree team set up an outdoor, drop-off collection site in 2020 for winter coats for the Le Sueur County Adopt-a-Family program.
Written by Karen A. Taylor, HTLC Web Manager
November 18, 2021
