While charity and gift giving have been a student tradition for nearly 30 years, the annual Red Bag program had a new look this year. Instead of herds adopting one family to shop for, each herd was now responsible for some specific items for the Holiday Shop that would be donated to the Don Bosco Centers. For instance, Reardon collected toys and art supplies, while Lucas collected housewares.

“This year we were was asked to help increase the donations for their Holiday Shop,” campus ministry director Bill Creach said. “They would like to spread the holiday cheer and help a greater number of families this year by beefing up their donations for the Holiday Shop.”

According to Creach, the Don Bosco Centers has dedicated itself to cultivating self-sufficient neighbors for a strong community.

“I wanted to make sure all the areas of the Holiday Shop got good support and didn’t get lopsided donations,” Creach said.

The holiday shop is a place where families can go Christmas shopping with the donated items. This allows people to get what they genuinely need and ensures a fair system where all famlies recieve the same support.

“I think that the change is really awesome,” senior Tylicki herd Executive Devyn Davis said. “By donating to the Holiday Shop we get the chance to help more people.”

This year, students and teachers worked hard to gather all the requested gifts for the holiday shop. While students decorated doors and trees, herd execs gathered their gifts to put under          the tree. Each herd collected several gifts. Students noted that the amount of support was overwhelming.

“I think this year was a huge success,” senior Izzy Hyde and herd captain, said. “It feels good knowing we get to help more people this way.”