Every year, there are members of the community who see it as their joy and responsibility to share what they have to make Christmas a happy time for everyone. For the owners of Main Street Real Estate in Warrenton, that sharing comes in the form of an annual donations of gifts for low-income families in the R-III school system.

Since opening their business in 2017, owners Samantha Richardson and Stacey Blondin have dedicated a portion of their earnings, along with some private donations, to provide presents under the Christmas tree for hundreds of families. This year they spent thousands of dollars to provide gifts for about 160 children.

“The schools give us a list of kids that are in need. ... They don’t give us names, just gender, age and what they’re into,” said Samantha Richardson.

Rather than providing the gifts directly to the children, Richardson said their delivery is coordinated through school counselors, who get the presents to the right families. That way, parents can still have the joy of being the ones to give the gifts to their children.

“We don’t get to see it. I really want for the parents to be able to ... give the gifts to their kids from them, not from us,” Richardson commented. She said it’s blessing enough to know that their business is in a position to support local children and help bring them some joy.

“I don’t ever want to stop. I want to do this as long as I can,” Richardson added.

Her business partner, Stacey Blondin, said it’s important to them that their business returns the support it has received from their community.

“I’ve lived in this community my who life, and I know there’s a need. To know there’s kids out there that go without, and others have so much — we just want to try and make some kids smile,” Blondin said. She commented that support from others was a valued part of her own childhood.

“I was that kid. If it weren’t for people helping my parents out when I was a kid, or great community families helping me when I was a teen, I don’t know where I would be,” Blondin explained.

She said God has given them so much that it’s a blessing to share, and the more successful the real estate business becomes, the more they’ll give back.

“Life is not easy for a lot of people. It’s about being humble and kind,” Blondin said.

Allison Geertz, an educational support counselor who helps coordinate the gift donations, said she’s thankful for the community support.

“It’s incredible. We’re so appreciative,” Geertz said. “We identify families that need a little extra help around the holiday season. ... The kids are always so excited.”

This year gifts are going to about 100 elementary, 50 middle school and 10 early childhood students.

“We love working with Main Street (Real Estate),” Geertz commented. “They also partner with us on Care to Learn. They’re amazing support for the kids and the community.”