Smith said she has loved her experience working with Sub for Santa. “It’s so neat seeing all of the different community donors and seeing people that want to give back to foster care,” she said. “I’m also a foster parent, so I’ve been the recipient of donations. It’s just really appreciated as a foster parent just to feel seen and feel like the community is rallying around you when you’re taking care of these kids.”

She added it is neat to see the Sub for Santa program from the other perspective, where she can now see where and who the donations are coming from.

In addition to helping families sign up for Sub for Santa, Smith said in her position at Utah Foster Care, “I do all the events, donations, keep our foster families in the loop of what’s going on, and work with our community donors to get donations for our families, and then I help distribute them to our foster families.”

As she has worked to coordinate foster families with a Sub for Santa, Smith said she has learned there are many people who want to contribute and give to others. United Way also has giving trees set up at Smith’s Marketplace stores in Lehi, Saratoga Springs and Springville and at University Place in Orem. These trees are there for people who would like to sponsor an individual, called an “Angel Tree child.” People can pick a name off of one of the trees, shop for the child, then deliver the gifts back to the tree to be delivered.

Smith said she knows a lot of people who participate in Sub for Santa and the giving trees, “so, it’s really cool just to see how much the community is willing and wants to give back to kids in foster care,” she said.

She added, “I just love getting to see our families be excited about getting gifts for their kids in care and feeling seen and feeling appreciated for the work that they do. It’s just really nice to see the community and United Way give back in a way that really does help families and help these kids that are in foster care.”

Smith said she has seen the community support foster families through other events in addition to giving them Christmas gifts. One of these events is a babysitting event, where foster families can bring their kids to be watched for a few hours so the parent or parents can have a break.

“For me personally, we have received donations that have really helped and have brightened our kids’ spirits to feel like they’re being seen,” she said.

Smith explained that the Sub for Santa program is specifically helpful for foster families who have children placed in their home at this time of year. “It’s nice that they can participate in the Sub for Santa program so that they’re not totally scrambling (and) they’re not feeling pressured financially,” she said. “So, it’s been really nice, especially for our last-minute families that are receiving kids right around the holidays to be able to participate and receive from the Sub for Santa program.”