Head O’ Meadow Elementary School students had the opportunity to shop for presents for loved ones and raise money for three charities on November 29 and 30, thanks to the school’s annual PTA-run Holiday Giving Shop.

The shop was set up on the school’s cafetorium stage, and classes took turns visiting the shop. Julia Conlin was the PTA’s chair for the event. Parent volunteers worked to help students choose gifts for loved ones, wrap gifts, and help students choose to which of three charities they could donate money. Before students came to visit, the PTA created bags of different items for students to choose for gifts.

Each gift bag was sold for $4, and for each bag sold, $1 of the $4 went to a charity. Money raised from this year’s Holiday Giving Shop will go to the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary, FAITH Food Pantry, and the US Marine Corps Reserve Toys For Tots program. For each gift the students purchased, they received one bead — representing $1 — that they could then put in one of three containers to have the money given to one of the three charities.

Gifts this year included candies, hot cocoa, tea, stuffed animals, and candles. As kindergartners came through during one wave of shoppers, the students said they were shopping for their mom, dad, brother, or sister.

“What do you think mom might like?” one helper asked a kindergarten student.

After the Holiday Giving Shop is concluded, money from the fundraiser will be donated to the charities. Last year’s Holiday Giving Shop raised $500 for the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary, $350 for the US Marine Corps Reserve Toys For Tots program, and $325 for FAITH Food Pantry.