RIVERBEND - Local kids in the foster care system will receive all the presents they asked for this Christmas, thanks to the community’s help.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
The Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) works with Dream Home Charities out of Wood River to provide toys, clothing, hygiene products and more to local foster families across five counties every year. But after an accident on Dec. 12, 2024, left them a few hundred gifts short, the organizations put out a plea to the community to help them make up the lost gifts — and the community responded.
“It was definitely a Christmas miracle,” said Sherry Gilleland. “Everyone’s going to have a Merry Christmas tomorrow.”
Gilleland, owner of Dream Home Realty Centre and founder of Dream Home Charities, has provided Christmas gifts to 25 families and 85 foster kids every year for 15 years. This year, she was transporting the gifts when she realized she left the tailgate down on her truck, and she had lost hundreds of toys, clothing items and more along the road.
Gilleland and DCFS asked the community for help, encouraging monetary donations so they could purchase exactly what the children had asked for. Community members and businesses rallied behind the organizations, and Gilleland was able to replace all of the lost gifts.
“It was just amazing how the community came together,” she said. “Everything ended great.”
The extra donated money will go toward other Dream Home Charities initiatives. Gilleland said the extra money is “a godsend,” especially because their fundraising efforts yielded lower numbers this year than previous years.
Dream Home Charities has a big push around Christmastime to provide gifts for DCFS families, but they also work year-round to pay bills for struggling veterans and buy gas cards for parents with children in St. Louis hospitals. They will host their annual fundraiser in summer of 2025, and they hope to garner as much support as possible.
Gilleland thanks the community for their help in making sure local families and children have a happy holiday. For more information about Dream Home Charities and their work, including how to volunteer or donate, visit DreamHomeCharities.com.
“We rely on the community, family and friends to help support us so we can continue to do this,” Gilleland added. “I want to thank everybody from the bottom of my heart.”
More like this: