FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — Dozens of Federal Way children living in shelters or on the streets will open presents on Christmas morning.
Thanks to a Federal Way couple, children at their nearby elementary school won't be without gifts this holiday season.
"It means helping out those kids," said 70-year-old Catherine North. "Those kids who have so little... It's heartbreaking when children ask for sheets. When I was a kid we were poor. So I know what it's like to be poor. And Char is a retired social worker, so I think it just kind of comes natural."
North and her wife, Char, share a love of gift-giving. This marks the eighth year in a row the two have not given each other gifts for Christmas. Instead, this power couple works to get gifts for dozens of children at nearby Wildwood Elementary.
"A lot of them are from shelters or their homeless," North said.
North said the school's family liaison helps get them connected to families in need and several community members help buy gifts for the cause. This year, providing gifts for 62 children.
"The car was in the driveway,” said North showing KING 5 her now empty garage, which was once flooded with gifts. “It was just packed, completely packed with just bags and bags. There were over 100 bags of gifts."
North takes a four-gift approach. Essentially getting each child something, they want, need, can wear and can read.
"They don't just get a doll and a ball," North said. "They get bikes, and laptops and tablets, they get good gifts, all of them get an outfit."
The gifts are delivered to the school the week before Christmas for the families to pick up. Which is one of the best days of the year for her.
"What we do anybody can do as long as they have organizational skills and an extra room, a place to put the stuff because it adds up," North said. "Maybe every elementary school should have one of us."