CORONAVIRUS: STRONGER TOGETHER
Tooele Residents Getting Into Holiday Spirit With ‘Giving Train’ On Social Media
Dec 22, 2020, 12:24 AM | Updated: 12:41 am
TOOELE, Utah – Residents in Tooele County are getting into the holiday spirit with a “Giving Train” on social media. Throughout December, members of the Tooele County 411 Facebook page have been posting items, services and gift cards they want to donate, asking for nominations on who to gift them to.
Organizer Patty Daley said the response to the is heartwarming.
This year, she purchased $500 worth of gift cards from local businesses.
“I’ve just been giving those away in order to try and help the small businesses, kind of remind our members are community members of these businesses that are out here and how wonderful they are,” Daley said.
Once she posts about each business, she asks the 37,000 members on the Facebook page to nominate someone who deserves it, especially in 2020.
“It’s been amazing to see the nominations,” she said. “Just being able to thank people for what they have done in our lives at a time when we can’t hug, we can’t touch, we can’t visit we can’t do the normal things that you do at Christmas time.”
Tooele resident Justin Cole also jumped on the train focusing on families who could use some help giving their child a Christmas gift. So far he and his wife have donated nearly 30 toys.
“We know that there are people that can use the help because we spent a lot of time on the other side of the fence,” Cole said.
Cole hopes these donations inspire others to give what they can especially in uncertain times.
“These are the types of things that help us stay strong and be steady,” he said.