By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Pay it Forward Store, which offers Christmas gifts to needy families, will be in La Crosse this year instead of Hays.
The store will be open for one day only 9 to 4 p.m. Saturday in the basement of the First Christian Church, 619 Oak St., La Crosse.
The store offers new and gently used toys, gifts for teens, household items and decorations. It is a little bit of everything, expect clothes, said founder Heather Gray.
Although the store has offered bicycles in the past, it will not have any this year.
All items are free. You do not have to fill out any paperwork or meet income guidelines.
Organizers will be limiting the number of people in the store at one time this year to promote social distancing. Masks are not mandated in Rush County; however, Gray said they are highly encouraged.
This is the sixth year for the Pay It Forward Store. Last year, the store was at Big Creek Crossing. However, the space that Pay it Forward has used in the past was rented this year, and the mall said it did not have a space open for the store this year.
Gray said she thought she had another location secured in Hays, but that location fell through at the last minute.
Gray said she has contacted all potential donors that have made comments on the Pay It Forward's events page and made arrangements to pick up and transport donations from Hays to La Crosse.
Several people from Hays have commented on the store's Facebook page they do not have transportation to LaCrosse but still need Christmas presents.
A couple of people have offered to shop for those families and deliver the presents in Hays. Families can comment in the store's discussion group or call or text Gray at 785-432-3377. You can also reach Gray through the store's page or a personal Facebook message.
Gray received about a dozen hateful personal messages when she announced the store would be in LaCrosse this year.
"We have done everything in our power to even find a place," she said.
She said she would have had to cancel the store completely had the church in La Crosse not offered a space at the last minute.