A Christmas Free Sale, open to anyone with no questions asked, will be held this Saturday at Good News Gathering in Hillsboro.
Families can pick up a limited number of toys for their children, plus an unlimited number of others items, and kids can even shop for their parents.
Tickets will be handed out starting at 6:30 a.m., and the free sale runs from approximately 9 a.m. to noon.
“The tickets will be made up with a time on them. Once someone comes through and gets a ticket, they can come back and that time holds their place in line,” said Ron Hennison, a church member who helps organize the sale. “They can drive in and there will be a big loop in the parking lot, they’ll drive up near the front door, and they don’t even have to get out of their car to get their ticket.”
He said the sale will have about everything including toys, clothing, household goods, electronics and more, some new and some used.
But each family will only be allowed to select three toys.
“The only thing they get tickets for is the toys, and we allow three toy tickets per family, so that way we can spread things out farther. If they have five or six kids, at least we can help them with three, then we can spread things out a little more,” Hennison said. “Everything else they can take as much as needed, as much as they want, no questions asked.”
He said this is the 12th year for the sale and that people have come from as far away as Cincinnati to pick up gifts.
While the parents shop, there will be a separate area where the kids can shop for their parents, and the gifts they select will be wrapped. He said there will also be different crafts to keep the children occupied, and that some of the church youth will be putting on a play.
A new feature this year is that anyone working in the kids area has to pass a background check to make things are as safe as possible.
Good News Gathering is located at 6250 U.S. Route 62 at the south edge of Hillsboro. For more information call 937-393-5383.
“It’s really just about helping others,” Hennison said. “Our church is really outreach driven, so that’s kind of our focus. We’re just trying to reach out to people and help them any way we can.”
Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522.
