The idea’s simple but powerful: At Christmastime, why not get local kids involved in the spirit of charitable giving? From one kid to another, pitching in with donated gifts, stocking stuffers, and even food can become a hands-on way for young people to be part of the giving effort that helps assure other children can enjoy the holidays, too.

That was the original vision of Pam Dodd and her husband, Bobby, the pastor at Spirit Life Church of God in Cullman. Begun in their former home in Walker County, Kids Loving Kids — the charity Pam began nine years ago as a way to reflect the blessings in her own life back to her community.

“I don’t have children, but nine years ago, I heard the voice of the Holy Spirit say — ‘start Kids Loving Kids,’” she recalls. “I immediately responded and said out loud, ‘I don’t even have kids; I don’t know how to do this.’ But I could tell that I was supposed to do it, and that I had been entrusted to do it. It has been hard; we haven’t always had a lot of volunteers, and I’m not one to ask for handouts. But we have always had enough to do this, which has been an amazing blessing.”

The way it works is straightforward: Throughout the year, any organization, business or person (especially kids) can donate items or funds for the charity to use as part of its ever-evolving inventory of Christmas gifts, which are stored at the nonprofit’s warehouse in Curry. Then when Christmas comes, families can reach out to the organization via its Facebook page (@KidslovingKids), filling out an online form to request the specific gifts and necessary items that could make their children’s Christmas brighter.

“It can be anything from hygiene products to toys,” says Dodd, “and a lot of people don’t realize how significant those things can be — especially for teenagers, who often are the ones more overlooked or forgotten for charitable outreach. Our goal is really to include them, and to reach out to every child of any age who’s in need.

“We have a wonderful lineup of sponsors and volunteers, and since we’ve been here at Spirit Life Church, the way we’ve had volunteers just emerge and step up is really a remarkable story in itself. They have helped us grow Kids Loving Kids tremendously. We had an enormous response last year, but this year will be our biggest outreach ever — and thanks to our volunteers, it will also be much more streamlined and efficient.”

Dodd says Kids Loving Kids doesn’t screen or attempt to prioritize its recipients’ needs. When someone asks for clothes, cosmetics, a specific toy or other gift, they simply strive to make it happen — without overthinking what their circumstances might be.

“I don’t know if someone has just stopped paying child support, or if someone’s just walked out the door, or had their circumstances change in ways that we can’t see. And over the years, I have heard heartbreaking stories from people; things that really tear you up as you hear about someone’s misfortune with the holidays just around the corner. You can never tell, based simply on appearances, what someone really may be going through.”

On Saturday and Sunday, Spirit Life Church served as the base of operations for Kids Loving Kids’ drive-thru gift and food box giveaway, handing out more than 500 boxes to families who stayed in their cars (due to this year’s ongoing social distancing concerns). Santa was on hand to greet each child from his chair under the church’s covered drive-through, while inside the church, a small army of volunteers kept the boxes moving.

That event was only the Cullman-based part of a larger regional outreach that’ll find the nonprofit doing the same thing this weekend at three more locations: Meek Baptist Church at Arley, Raising Arrows in Jasper, and Cross Way Church in Haleyville. The Arley drive-through will run from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Dec. 19, while the Jasper event will run from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. later that same day. The Haleyville drive-through will take place on Sunday, Dec. 20 from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.

To donate new or gently-used toys, clothing, or money to Kids Loving Kids — or to learn more about sponsoring the ministry through your business or organization — contact volunteer Alisha Beard at 205-717-7478.