ALBUQUERQUE — Calvary Church in New Mexico provided gifts to nearly 2,500 children through their Calvary Church Christmas Toy Shop, Monday, Dec. 19.

The toy drive at Calvary Church has been an annual Christmas tradition since 2014. Like many Calvary Church community outreach efforts, the toy drive serves children who attend Title 1-funded schools in the Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) district. In order to receive Title I designation, schools must be identified as serving 50 percent or higher economically disadvantaged students.

Families in need initially learned about the toy drive last month at the Calvary Church Thanksgiving Pickup Party where they were invited to pick up a free Thanksgiving meal for their families as well as receive free haircuts, family photos and medical and dental screenings.

This year, the Calvary Church family has given more generously than ever with approximately 5,000 toys donated or purchased with financial gifts from the three Calvary Church campuses.

At the Calvary Church Osuna campus, parents and guardians shopped for free toys for the children in their immediate care. An estimated 2,500 children received two gifts this Christmas at the distribution event where thousands of donated toys were separated into five stores so parents and guardians could easily shop for age-appropriate toys and utilize free gift-wrapping stations, with childcare provided for children in kindergarten and older.

“We are tangibly showing the love of our Savior to people, which is what it’s all about,” said Pastor Skip Heitzig. “It’s a good time to give to people and to show them there’s a God in heaven who knows them by name and individually. It’s our privilege to do this.”

Learn more about events at Calvary Church here. Direct media inquiries to press@jdaworldwide.com.

About Calvary Church

Calvary Church is a fellowship of believers who pursue the God who passionately pursues a lost world; they do this by connecting with one another, through worship, by the Word, to the world. Based in New Mexico, Calvary Church sees over 16,000 weekly in-person attendees, plus a vast online audience around the world. Their purpose is creating life change.

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