It’s here again — the annual Fisher Mitchell/Dike Newell Holiday Fair.

This is a heartwarming event that has been going on for more than 25 years. Every child from kindergarten to fifth grade gets to shop for their family members. Each treasure comes with a cost of merely 25 cents per item.

How to get these treasures:

They are donated by people like you. Organizers are looking for gently used yard sale type items. Father, mother and teen items are the most sought-after gifts. If you are a parent that has been on the receiving end of one of these gifts you know, but if not it is such a joy to watch the faces of these children present their parents and family members with gifts they picked out on their very own.

On Dec. 10, the children will be bussed from Fisher Mitchell School to Dike Newell. The bus is donated by Billy Reed and driven by former principal Larry Dyer.

On Dec. 11, the children from Dike Newell do their holiday shopping. The children will arrive to find dozens of “elves” to assist them in their shopping experience.

The Dike Newell gym is set up like a “mini mall” to make shopping easier. There is a mom section, dad section (always the leanest of the sections), toy section and more. Once they are done shopping they pay for their treasures. If a child does not have the funds in order to pay, they get what they need.

Once paid, they go to one of the 14 wrapping stations also manned by elves. Every gift is wrapped and tagged and ready for giving. The funds that come in are then used to adopt a family from Dike Newell and one from Fisher Mitchell to help make their holiday special.

The fair is two weeks away and in order for both schools to be able to shop, organizers need more than 3,500 items.

Organizers are hoping people will go through their cubbies, junk drawers, kids toys (please make sure toys are gently used and in working order … no child wants to open a broken toy), and especially dad-appropriate treasures.

If you can drop them off at Dike Newell off High Street, great, but if not, give Kimberly Gates a call and she will pick them up.

Gates cannot accept clothing or large appliances.

Those who want to volunteer are most welcome. You will need to fill out a volunteer background check form and return it to either Dike Newell or Fisher Mitchell. It can take up to a week to be cleared. You cannot volunteer unless you have been cleared. You will also need to fill out a Holiday Fair Volunteer form. That can be turned in at the same time.

Feel free to contact Gates with any questions at 443- 5052.