Amanda Shavers | The Cullman Times Alisha Beard carries a box of gifts to a waiting car Dec. 15, 2021 at the Kids Loving Kids’ annual gift giveaways at Spirit Life Church in Cullman.

Around 2,400 children and teenagers received Christmas gifts, food and hygienic items this weekend through Kids Loving Kids’ annual gift giveaways. 

Kids who came through the giveaways in Cullman and Walker Counties received toys, games, bicycles and other gifts, while many of the teenagers also received some of the hygienic items that they usually ask for, such as deodorant, shampoo, body wash and toothpaste. 

Each family was also asked if they needed food, and food boxes were provided for those who needed them, said Kids Loving Kids founder Pam Dodd.

There are many children whose parents are unable to provide them with Christmas gifts, as well as many grandparents or great-grandparents who are living on a fixed income while raising their grandchild, so Kids Loving Kids makes sure those kids and teens get the extra love they need during Christmas, she said.

The nonprofit provides birthday boxes containing gifts, as well as food and hygiene items throughout the year to families who are in need of them, but the annual Christmas gift giveaway is the biggest focus for each year, she said. 

Dodd and her husband Bobby are pastors at Cullman’s Spirit Life Church, and she said they founded Kids Loving Kids 10 years ago when she was led by the Lord to help the children in the community. 

The key to the nonprofit’s mission can be found in its name. 

“In the name, Kids Loving Kids, I wanted to see parents teach their children the joy of giving,” Dodd said.  

She said God gave the gift of his Son for everyone, and Jesus said it is better to give than receive, so raising children to give at a young age will let them grow up experiencing the happiness that can come from giving gifts to those who need them. 

“The greater joy is in the giving, and seeing that peoples’ hearts are touched greatly,” she said. 

The giveaways require a lot of work to make sure the families of the area get the gifts they need, and Dodd made sure to thank Kids Loving Kids Executive Director Alisha Beard for organizing the teams of volunteers who make it all possible, as well as the volunteers themselves. 

She also thanked Alisha’s husband, Zach Beard and Jason Canter for their work in ‘Santa’s Workshop’ to clean up every donated toy and make sure they have batteries in working order before they are given away. 

Anyone wanting to donate gently-used toys to Kids Loving Kids can reach out to Dodd at 256-318-4555 or bring their donations to Spirit Life Church at 1650 St. Joseph Drive in Cullman.

Donations are also accepted year-round at Premier Bank in Vinemont and at Traditions Bank on Main Avenue in Cullman. 

Monetary donations to the nonprofit can be sent to Kids Loving Kids at 197 County Road 220, Crane Hill, AL 35053, or can be deposited into the Kids Loving Kids account at Traditions Bank.