NAMPA, Idaho — Christmas is just around the corner, and the Nampa Inn & Suites ensured every child staying at the hotel felt some holiday joy.
About 100 homeless families temporarily live at the hotel, which is about 54 children. All of the children received three presents and had the chance to meet Santa during Thursday's event.
"With less than 48 hours of planning, Santa brought his magical goodness for all the children into one of our empty rooms here," hotel general manager Luke Anorak-Neill said.
The families staying at the hotel use hotel vouchers from the Idaho Housing and Finance Association's Housing Preservation Program. He said some stay for six months, while others stay just a couple of months or weeks.
Regardless, Anorak-Neill said everyone deserves a wonderful Christmas. All of the gifts were donated by community members.
"Our big thing is we didn't want these kids to feel like Santa forgot them just because they didn't live maybe where home was or anything like that," he said.
Cindy Roederdahl, who lives in the hotel, brought her five grandkids to the event. She said they were all very grateful.
"It meant a lot to them," Roederdahl said. "Because we don't have a lot of money to buy stuff, and so they're really happy."
Anorak-Neill said they were up until 3 a.m. wrapping presents, and that even though presents are just "things," they highlight the hotel's mission.
He compared the event to the Christmas story in the Bible, where Mary and Joseph are told there is no room at the inn. But at the Nampa Inn & Suites, there is always room for the homeless families in the community.
"We have a lot of fun here," Anorak-Neill said. "I feel like we're helping keep families together. We're fighting mental health. We're helping people keep jobs. We're doing a lot of good by doing this, and it's absolutely worth it to us 100%."
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