Families can get free toys for their kids, eat holiday cookies and snap a picture with Santa at Patchwork Indy’s second annual holiday bazaar and resource fair.
It runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, at the International District Community Center, 3540 Commercial Drive. The event includes at least 28 organizations that can connect you to resources, including housing, transportation, education and programs for kids and teens.
Dafney Lavache, Patchwork’s director of community engagement, said she enjoyed watching parents bring their kids to last year’s event. One parent would walk around the tables and learn about resources, while the other would stand in line to meet Santa.
Last year, the first time Patchwork hosted the event, they got so many toy donations that kids got to take home multiple.
“If you see our pictures, they were walking away with three to four, five, seven, eight, gifts in their hands, because we had a lot of toys last year,” Lavache said.
If you’d like to donate money or contribute toys for Patchwork Indy to give out as gifts, you can drop off unwrapped toys in new condition from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday until the end of November at the International District Community Center.
You can also volunteer — although you will have to dress up as an elf. To wrap toys ahead of time or work as an elf, contact Lavache at (317) 771-9147.
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Mirror Indy reporter Sophie Young covers services and resources. Contact her at sophie.young@mirrorindy.org.
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