St. Vincent de Paul turns into Santa’s Workshop

MARQUETTE — Marquette’s St. Vincent de Paul store is getting ready to transform into Santa’s Workshop.

The store hosts a Christmas Giveaway every year for families struggling this time of year. More than 450 families are registered for the event.

Parents come into the store and can pick out presents for their children. Toys and other items were donated all year long to St. Vincent de Paul for this event.

“They also get food, a full Christmas dinner with turkey, ham, and chicken, canned vegetables, all kinds of goodies so they can have a nice Christmas dinner,” St. Vincent de Paul manager Stephanie Bordeaux said. “They also get clothes, books, family games, puzzles, all kinds of goodies so they can have a nice Christmas. It’s a simple way to want to just help and give a hand when you just don’t know how you’re going to make it fun for your children or for yourself.”

St. Vincent de Paul has received hundreds of donations for the Christmas Giveaway, and Bordeaux said the donations show how generous the Marquette County community can be.

“Everybody that’s been helping us…it just doesn’t stop to amaze me what this community does for us and for everybody,” Bordeaux said. “It’s amazing…a little bit goes a long way and it’s just Christmas every day.”

To prepare the store for the Christmas Giveaway, St. Vincent de Paul is holding its annual bag sale tomorrow, where bags are filled to the brim with items for $4 per bag. Then on Saturday, the store is having its grand reopening, featuring new furniture and items.

If you or someone you know needs to utilize St. Vincent de Paul’s services, contact the financial aid office at (906) 226-3840.