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Employees of the city of Alabaster helped donate and wrap gifts for children in need this holiday season. (For the Reporter/Neal Wagner)

By WILLIAM MARLOW | Special to the Reporter

ALABASTER – Over the past few weeks, Alabaster city employees have been busy donating children’s gifts to benefit families in Shelby County facing hardship this holiday season.

On Monday, Dec. 13, many city employees volunteered to wrap the donated presents and transport them to children throughout the county.

Public Relations Manager Neal Wagner described this new initiative as a success with a large impact on the Alabaster community.

“This project really turned out great. The response was incredible,” Wagner said. “The employees donated dozens of items ranging from toys and bicycles to clothing and baby items for the children—to the point where it was almost filling the HR office.”

The city’s human resources department led the gifting initiative and partnered with Shelby Emergency Assistance to “adopt” several local children in order to purchase Christmas gifts for them and their families.

Human Resources Director Tracy Worley added that she and her team were humbled by the overwhelming response of her fellow employees to assist local families.

“Each city employee works daily to improve the lives of the citizens we serve in the community and this project was a continuation of that service,” Worley said. “It was a blessing to come together to truly embrace the season of giving.”

Over the past several weeks, the HR department invited all city employees to volunteer to purchase items from the kids’ wish lists and drop them off at the Christmas tree in the HR office.

On Monday, Dec. 13, all city employees gathered at City Hall during lunch and wrapped the donated items before loading them into a trailer and transporting them to SEA to distribute to the children.

Wagner noted that many children may not have received any presents on Christmas morning without this effort, but said now they will have a significant stack of gifts under the tree.

“The employees really came together as a family to support kids in need in our community,” he said. “We were humbled to have the opportunity to support Alabaster families who are facing hardships this holiday season. That spirit is really what the Alabaster community is all about.”

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