For Zach Clark and his sister Cora Clark, that means it’s a busy but rewarding time of the year. The two chair the North Elba Community Christmas Fund, something they’ve done since 2019. The fund has been around since the 1970s, and its mission is to make Christmas and the holiday season special for everyone in town.

“Things and times are still very tough for a lot of families who are working hard and are just trying to make ends meet,” Zach said. “A lot of people just need a little extra help and that’s what we provide.”

The fund provides gifts and toys, food baskets and winter jackets, boots and snow pants. It’s comprised of about 30 volunteers who work to coordinate and distribute the donations.

“We have a group of dozens who come, help set up the room, organize everything and pack the food baskets,” he said. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s very rewarding, and it’s just something that we do to help out our friends and neighbors.”

Lake Placid volunteer firefighters pack food donations last year as part of the North Elba Community Christmas Fund at the Crowne Plaza hotel on Dec. 14, 2024. (Provided photo — Zach Clark)

The fund is only possible because of the community’s generosity and volunteer spirit, something that Clark said is in the fabric of Lake Placid and North Elba, whether it was magnificent undertakings like putting on the Olympics nearly 46 years ago, the Ironman every summer or just simple, daily stuff like shoveling a neighbor’s walkway.

“This town never ceases to amaze me when we say, ‘hey, we need a hand,'” he said. “This is what people do around here in Lake Placid — it’s great.”

It’s through that spirit that Clark said the Christmas fund is set to help out about 140 kids in and around the Lake Placid Central School District this year. The fund sends out a form that parents fill out, indicating what types of gifts their children are wishing for the most. Then, a team of “elves” collects gifts that people have donated and goes out to shop for other requested items, thanks to the money that has been donated to the fund.

The gifts and clothes are then consolidated in the High Peaks Resort, where families are given individual times to come in and pick up their items. Clark said at the start of distribution, the entire banquet room is filled with gift items — something made all the more heartwarming when Clark thought back to the tradition’s early days.

“When people come into the rooms to see the amount of toys and gifts and stuff, they’re absolutely amazed,” he said. “This has really become big. We started in the town hall in a small meeting room, now we use a banquet room that hosts weddings for 200 people. Families are amazed that there’s so much generosity in the area, of people donating stuff.”

Last year’s North Elba Community Christmas Fund toy and gift distribution center is seen at the High Peaks Resort on Dec. 9, 2024. (Provided photo — Zach Clark)

He said he gets a lot of hugs and thank-you letters from families telling him that the fund’s volunteerism and the community’s generosity made a world of difference in their holiday celebrations each year. Clark added that if people have questions about pick-up, distribution or want to help out, they can email him at emmadelyn6@yahoo.com or call the North Elba Town Hall at 518-523-2597, and the staff there will put the person in touch with Clark.

There are 10 locations for people to drop off toys they wish to donate. The gifts should be new and unwrapped. Donations will be accepted through Monday, Dec. 8. This year’s locations include:

¯ Adirondack Health, Lake Placid — 203 Old Military Road

¯ Champlain National Bank — 2040 Saranac Ave.

¯ Community Bank — 2166 Saranac Ave.

¯ Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort — 2559 Main St.

¯ Kinney Drugs, Lake Placid — 1954 Saranac Ave.

¯ NBT Bank — 2483 Main St.

¯ NBT Bank — 1944 Saranac Ave.

¯ Tina Leonard Real Estate — 2577 Main St.

¯ Tri-Lakes Federal Credit Union — 453 Wesvalley Road

¯ Walgreens, Lake Placid — 2140 Saranac Ave.

Financial contributions should be sent to: Town of North Elba, c/o Zachary Clark, 2693 Main Street, Lake Placid 12946.

The food basket delivery day this year is Saturday, Dec. 13, at the Crowne Plaza, 101 Olympic Drive. Clark said there’ll be signage at the driveway giving volunteer drivers directions on where to pick up the food baskets and receive delivery routes and instructions. The distribution is slated to begin at 8:30 a.m. Anyone interested is welcome to come help out.

Clark thanked all of the community businesses and individuals who have donated or volunteered their time to make 2025 another successful year for the fund.