Kaysville GIVES began as a way for the community to make Christmastime a little brighter for families who live and attend school in Kaysville. Initially, the program supported the Family Enrichment Center with 10 local families, students from Mountain High School, the Bountiful Food Pantry, and Safe Harbor. Residents could visit City Hall, select tags from the Christmas tree, and return the gifts in time for distribution. The goal was to fulfill the Christmas requests for each location.

Over the past seven years, the vision and goal of Kaysville GIVES has remained the same: to support those in need within our community. Thanks to the generosity of our local businesses, families, church groups, youth groups, neighborhood groups, and service organizations, we’ve been able to achieve this goal each year.

Now, Kaysville GIVES is starting its 8th year of serving the community at Christmas. Every year the needs of those in the community are assessed so that the program can provide a little joy with gifts for Christmas. This year the need is even greater, and it cannot be done without help from the community. “This is a deeply meaningful fundraiser initiative that brings our community together in a spirit of unity, kindness and generosity,” Mayor Tamara Tran said. “Each year it serves as a beacon of hope, offering an opportunity as a city to uplift and bless the lives of others, and make a real difference for those facing difficult times.”   

In 2019, the program transitioned to virtual tags on the website, www.kaysvillegives.com, offering reach to more residents and the ability to meet additional needs within the community. During COVID, Amazon Gift Lists were introduced so people could shop online and send gifts directly to City Offices, making it safer for both donors and volunteers. Many residents appreciated the convenience of this option, and online donations were also introduced to make contributing even easier.

In 2022, the program partnered with Young Truck and Trailer and the Young Caring for Young Foundation. They provided valuable support by receiving all donations at their Kaysville location, offering trucks and trailers for transportation, and processing financial donations through their foundation, allowing contributions to be tax-exempt.

This year, Kaysville GIVES runs from Nov. 18 to Dec. 13. There are a variety of ways to help, ranging from making an online donation (donations over $250 will receive a tax write-off receipt); select tags from the virtual “Giving Tree” to choose items to donate, or even select from the Amazon Gift List that has been created with suggested donations. All gifts will be delivered directly to Young Truck and Trailer, in Kaysville. Finally, you can call 801-546-1235 or visit Kaysville City Hall at 23 E. Center Street to donate in person.

Also, the Kaysville GIVES “Fill the Fire Truck” event is being held Dec. 7 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Kaysville Fire Department. This fun event offers pictures with the Grinch, Santa, and the Firemen of Kaysville – and helps fill the fire truck with donations. For a list of items needed, please go to www.kaysvillegives.com.

To learn how to get involved, visit www.kaysvillegives.com. For questions or more information, email [email protected]. λ