Once a year, the gymnasium at Youth Encouragement Services on Lindsley Avenue has been piled full of gifts.
There's something for everyone, from the youngest infant to older teens. All of the gifts were donated by a number of organizations, businesses and churches.
The captain of the holiday ship has been Executive Director Rob McRay.
"Everyone wants to be a part of making a difference of blessing someone's life, bringing some joy around the holidays, and it's wonderful to share that experience. For Y.E.S. we call this the happiest day of our year," McRay said.
For mother's like Alexis Morris, it's a gift that keeps giving.
"I was also a participant in the Y.E.S. program when I was a little girl," she said.
On Saturday, she shopped for her four children, ages 2, 4, 6 and 11.
"We all struggle now a days with the economy and jobs and things but it really does help for us and I'm very happy that we have this program every year," said Morris.
The Y.E.S. Christmas Store has guaranteed her children and 600 to 700 others will open gifts come Christmas morning.
"They'd be so excited because they actually have a lot of things that the kids are really interested in on Christmas, so they're really excited on Christmas day," said Morris.
Y.E.S. began collecting donations months in advance. After 35 years, the store has run more like Santa's workshop with hundreds of volunteers on hand to help.
"They get to shop, not just for the children in the program, but for all the children in their household," McRay said.
If you're interested in volunteering for Y.E.S. or would like to make a donation for next year's Christmas Store click here.
