HENDERSONVILLE Between handmade wooden toys, card tables filled with artisans and community service workers and even a surprise visit from Santa, the Elks Club in Hendersonville looked like a certain Arctic place children dream about in December. VII.
Apple County Woodcrafters, a nonprofit woodworking club in Hendersonville, may have held its annual wedding and holiday party, but it felt more like Santa's workshop. This year, Woodcrafters distributed more than 2,500 handmade toys, mostly wooden toys such as trucks and puzzles, as well as stuffed animals and blankets, to 12 local charities and other groups that distribute toys to children who may not have access to toys during the holiday season. . .
"I want to thank you again this year on behalf of the entire community for this wonderful, wonderful game," Hendersonville Mayor Barbara Faulk said at the drawing. "I was blown away again. I think there is more than before and some interesting new things."
The 12 groups represent different ways to help those in need, from food banks to crisis centers. The groups are:
St. John's in the Wild and the Carolina Baptist Association picked up their games early because they held ceremonies before the draw, said Gary Mach, vice president of Apple County Woodcrafters.
An organizer from each of the 10 groups that participated in the event expressed their gratitude for the distribution of the toys and the impact they had on the lives of the children who received them.
"I had no idea where these games came from," says Chris Pace, who says he's been working with The Storehouse for more than a decade. "I was there at the sale and there were all these cute toys around, and I really started to think Santa was real. There were legit elves bringing the toys in here, because I'm like, 'They're not from Wal not. - Mart. It's special."
Apple County Woodcrafters has been offering these gifts for 37 years, and according to director of marketing Don Speese, Christmas gifts are where the organization began. In the beginning, he says, it started with a couple of guys making toys in their garage.
The nonprofit now spends more than $5,000 annually on materials for these games alone.
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After all the materials and wildlife planning were obtained, Speese said the organization "subcontracted the elves to do, sorry, woodwork". The group now has about 250 members, all of whom pay $100 a year to join the club. Membership includes access to their 3,750 square foot store and resource library in Hendersonville, monthly meetings, field trips and workshops.
"Since 1995, our members have made over 25,000 wooden toys for local children this Christmas," according to the Apple County Woodcrafters website.
In addition to the wooden toys, other members made more than 250 dolls and blankets for donation.
Match said work on next year's matches will begin soon.
Christian Smith is a reporter for USA Today. Questions or comments? Contact him at RCSmith@gannett.com or (828) 274-2222
This article originally appeared in the Asheville Citizen Times: Local woodworking nonprofit donates thousands of handmade toys
