Mineral kids hunt for treasures for parents

Holiday shopping never was so easy for children in Mineral County, thanks to the Clark Fork Valley Women in Timber.

The women held their Parents' Gift Table at the Masonic Temple in Superior from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. At the gift table, anyone from the county 18 years and under could come in and pick free gifts for their parents and have the women wrap it for them.

With no long lines or traffic, no high prices and the five volunteers wrapping their gifts, the only difficult part of shopping for the nearly 50 children that took advantage of the gift table was picking the right gift for their parents. Seven-year-old Kim Parsons spent over a half an hour rummaging through the 300-plus items to find the perfect gift for her mom and dad. After the search, she said she thought her mom would love the "glass thingy" and her dad would love the "plastic thingy" she had picked out for them.

Joann Merseal, the treasurer for the Women in Timber group, said they had been doing the gift table for about 15 years and one of her favorite things is to watch the children's eyes light up when they find the right gift. "The kids love it. The kids love coming in here and looking," she said. Merseal said the children must choose the gifts themselves without pressure from their parents. "The parents aren't allowed to come in here and check over anything," she said.

The children that came to the gift table this year were also treated to a visit from Santa Claus. Bob Parsons, who volunteers at the Women in Timber store, was dressed up in the red suit. Glenda Harris, a Women in Timber member and volunteer gift wrapper, said they noticed Parsons was growing his winter beard and "conned" him into becoming St. Nick.

The Women in Timber will hold another Parents' Gift Table at the Masonic Temple from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15. The women start collecting gifts at the beginning of the year. Some were donated and some were bought with the money from the Women in Timber store, said Merseal.

The Women in Timber will once again be teaming up with the Superior Lions Club to give out food baskets this year. Merseal said the food baskets will have enough food for a "turkey dinner and more." She said the baskets will also have gifts for any children under the age of 18 in the household. Women in Timber, who have been giving out the food baskets since 1987, handed out about 90 baskets last year and expect to give out the same amount this year, said Merseal. She said the women will be preparing the basket Dec. 21 and the Lions Club will be making deliveries Dec. 22.

Harris said she knows how important a nice turkey dinner is for Christmas. "I was blessed with one of the baskets about 30 years ago and I'm glad I'm able to give back," she said.

The Women in Timber store, located at 105 Iron Mountain Heights Road in Superior, is open Tuesdays and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Merseal said anybody who would like to make donations for the gift table or the food baskets should drop them off during those hours. The store will be closed Dec. 19 through Feb. 5 "so we can rest and relax," said Merseal. She said Women in Timber ask the community not to leave donations while they are closed because the donations will be exposed to the elements and ruined before they are collected.

The Clark Fork Valley Women in Timber was formed in 1985 and currently has nine members. It is part of a federated organization of wives of men who work in the wood product industry. "Our main objective is to teach people how important the wood industry is," said Merseal.

Each year Women in Timber gives a $300 scholarship to a graduating senior in each of the Mineral County schools and donates and dyes about 700 eggs for the annual Easter Egg Hunt.

The group also prepares kits for families whose homes are destroyed by fires. The kits include clothing, blankets, cooking utensils and other things that are essential to the families, Merseal said.