Oskaloosa Police Giving Tree Program Set to Help 112 Children in 2025
Giving Tree 2025
OSKALOOSA – For more than 35 years, the Oskaloosa Police Department’s Christmas Giving Tree program has helped make sure local children have presents to open on Christmas morning. The long-running effort brings together law enforcement, businesses, and volunteers to support families who need a little extra help during the holidays.
This year, the Giving Tree program is set to serve 112 children from 39 households through the Oskaloosa Police Department’s list, with additional children and families being covered by local businesses that coordinate with SIEDA. Last year, the program provided gifts for 106 children from 46 households.
The Giving Tree focuses on children age 17 and under. Families are connected to the program through local agencies and partners, including SIEDA’s Mahaska County Children’s Christmas program, which works with law enforcement and community organizations to match children with donors.
Sieda
Stockings, or “tags,” for each child are placed on Giving Trees at several locations in Oskaloosa. For 2025, community members can find stockings at Mahaska Drug, Hy-Vee, Brown’s Shoe Fit Co., Fareway, The Shoe Department, and Walmart. Each stocking lists an Oskaloosa Police Department tracking number, the child’s sex and age, clothing and shoe sizes, and a short wish list of toys or other gifts.
Residents who want to help can choose a stocking, shop for that child, and return the gifts along with the stocking information. Gifts are preferred to be unwrapped. Leaving items unwrapped allows organizers to see exactly what has been purchased, check sizes, and identify any gaps so that no child is left short on Christmas morning. Donors are asked to place the items in a bag and either write the stocking number on the outside or include the stocking itself inside the bag.
All gifts and stockings must be returned by December 8, 2025. Donors can drop off purchased items at the Oskaloosa Police Department, Mahaska Drug, or Walmart.
Once donations come in, the gifts are taken to the Oskaloosa Police Department. There, officers and volunteers sort bags by stocking number and check them against the information on file for each child. Approximately 25 to 30 volunteers help each year with sorting, checking, and organizing the gifts.
If a stocking is not adopted, or if a bag is not returned, the program has a backup plan. The Oskaloosa Police Association, along with other generous donors, uses donated funds to purchase the needed items. Families and friends of OPD shop together to fill any remaining stockings so that every child on the list receives gifts.
Law enforcement personnel play a central role in making the event run smoothly. Officers coordinate with SIEDA, donors, and families; organize and verify community-bought gifts; fill bags with donated toys and candy; and shop for stockings that were not fully covered or not returned. Distribution is organized by household number. On pick-up days, volunteers match each household number to the correct bags and check them off a master list to verify that every listed child has received gifts.
The Giving Tree is supported by a wide network of local agencies and businesses. Partners for this year’s program include the Oskaloosa Police Department, Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office and Posse, Mahaska County EMA, Oskaloosa Fire Department and Reserves, Mahaska County C.E.R.T., Hy-Vee, Fareway, The Shoe Department, Brown’s Shoe Fit Co., Walmart, and Mahaska Drug. Over the years, fundraisers and events at Mahaska Drug – including an annual Thanksgiving bake sale – have helped provide financial support for the Oskaloosa Police Association’s Christmas Giving Tree fund.
Funding for the program comes from a mix of community donations and direct support from the Oskaloosa Police Association. Some years, more of the cost is covered by donations; other years, the association fills a larger share of the gap. If cash contributions exceed the number of stockings in a given year, the extra money is kept in a designated Giving Tree account and carried over. Those carryover funds allow the department to spend a bit more on each stocking in future seasons when possible.
Financial accountability for the Giving Tree fund is overseen by Sgt. DeKleine and Officer Reisetter. The program’s structure – with tracked stockings, household numbers, and organized pick-up days – is designed to make sure that donations are used for their intended purpose and that all listed children receive gifts.
Community members will also see activity connected to the program later in the month. December 12 has been set as the main shopping day, when officers, volunteers, and supporters go out to purchase items for stockings that were not fully covered by donors.
The Christmas Giving Tree has become a familiar part of the holiday season in Oskaloosa, with local families, churches, civic groups, and businesses joining together year after year. Online posts and local calendars regularly promote the stockings and related fundraisers, reflecting how deeply the program is woven into the community’s holiday traditions.
