For 21 years, community volunteers have worked to make sure all children on Central and North Whidbey have a merry Christmas.
Church members, students, business owners and retired educators represent some of the about 150 volunteers involved in this community effort known as Holiday House North. Among them are June Zacharias and Mary Heck, two retired school teachers who, through this initiative, are continuing their mission to support kids.
Holiday House North is sponsored by the Oak Harbor Lions Club and supported by student clubs — like the Coupeville Honor Society, the OH NJROTC, the Scouts, and the OH Key Club — and the Whidbey Toys for Tots chapter. Toys for Tots is a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve that donates gifts to children from low-income families.
The Holiday House was born in Langley from Readiness to Learn, a nonprofit that offers educational programs to students on South Whidbey. People interested in the South Whidbey program can reach out to rtlfprograms@readinesstolearn.org or call 360-221-6808 extension 4321.
The Holiday House North serves families that reside in the Oak Harbor and Coupeville school districts and has been supporting more children over the years. Last year, Heck said, Holiday House North served 839 children from 321 families. For comparison, 543 children were served in 2021. Heck said she expects to help over 300 families this year as well.
Every year, low-income caregivers and adult family members visit the Holiday House to choose free gifts for children ages 0 to 18 — or when they graduate from high school. To be eligible, children must also not be served by another holiday gift program.
The Holiday House is set up like a store and will take up a portion of the Midway Training Center, located at 200 Southeast Midway Boulevard in Oak Harbor. Between Dec. 10 and 18, registered adults will show up for their 15-minute appointment and be escorted through the store by a personal shopper. Visitors can select four toys and eight stocking stuffer gifts for each child, plus a family gift — which can be a fresh Christmas-themed floral arrangement, Christmas swags, books, calendars, jigsaw puzzles or books. Guests also receive free tickets to the Blue Fox Drive-In theater for each family member.
Prospective guests can register through the parent/guardian sign-up portal on the Holiday House North website. The deadline to register as a guest is Dec. 18, but volunteers might grant an extension to families that find out about the program late, according to Zacharias. To register, visit holidayhousenorth.com/parentguardian-sign-up.
The Holiday House only accepts new gifts for children, while gifts for adults can be “gently used,” as June said. People who wish to make a donation but don’t know what to donate can consult two gift lists available on Holiday House North’s website, one for children and one for teens. Gifts for children include bath toys, strollers, Legos and science kits, while gifts for teens include wireless earbuds, instant noodles, self-care products and cards.
People interested in making a donation can send a check to the Oak Harbor Lions Club, or drop off gifts at Tyee Restaurant in Coupeville, at the school district offices in Oak Harbor and Coupeville, at Branch Business Services in Coupeville, at Heritage Bank in Coupeville and Oak Harbor, and at the Veterans of Foreign Wars building in Oak Harbor.
Zacharias said the Holiday House provides volunteers a fun opportunity to socialize and make a child’s holidays a little better. People are welcome to join and give a hand, volunteering as greeters, hosts who escort guests, stockers or gift wrappers. To learn more about volunteering opportunities, reach out to holidayhousenorthwhidbey@gmail.com.
