Holiday Gift Wrap

We recognize that volunteering time at the gift wrap booth has become a tradition for many individuals and families – whether as volunteers, donors, or both. We appreciate the time that so many volunteers have given over the busy holiday season – and the countless dedicated donors who bring their gifts, often from outside the mall, to be wrapped at UCP’s holiday gift wrap booth.

However, after careful evaluation and discussion, we determined that the current challenges surpass the benefits of operating the gift wrap booth. These challenges include some stark realities:

• Supply costs have gone up by as much as 100%
• Volunteer cancellations have steadily been on the rise for several years, but more troubling has been the increase in no-shows (volunteers not showing up nor providing notice) particularly in the last year
• Operation of the booth is time intensive from December 1-December 24, and we are in a staffing transition at the current time
• Booth coverage is required from mall opening to close, including the extended holiday hours

Therefore, we have notified the Capital City Mall that we will not be operating the gift wrap booth in December 2024. The decision to continue the event in future years will be made after a more extensive evaluation has been completed.

Although we realize that news of this decision will be disappointing for many, we hope you will consider some of the other opportunities for continued involvement with UCP. There are variety of options available to match the time and talents of any volunteer.  Explore some options here.