By Elvia Alaniz & Mimi Teller, American Red Cross

“We’re not getting any presents this year,” 7‑year‑old Yaritza said as she played with her sister Emily and their neighbor Aisling in the American Red Cross shelter.

She said it simply—no drama, just the plain truth of a child who knew her family wouldn’t be home for Christmas.

Aisling, 5, didn’t hesitate. “It’s ok,” she said. “We have family.”

Their brief exchange traveled farther than the girls realized. It was a reminder of why none of the children would wake up in their own homes this holiday season.

Only a week earlier, long before dawn, their families had been jolted awake when floodwater rushed through a levee breach in Auburn. In their basement and first‑floor apartments, water rose fast—too quickly for anyone to gather more than what they could hold. The families scrambled up the stairs as the building filled with water. For hours, they waited on the second floor, listening to the flood churn below until rescue teams reached them by raft and guided them to safety.

By midmorning, the families arrived at the Red Cross shelter at the Auburn Community and Event Center. There, they found what they needed most: a warm place to sleep, daily meals, a safe space to regroup and the steady presence of volunteers ready to help. For families suddenly without their homes, the familiar red and white vests offered reassurance.

“I didn’t know the Red Cross did this,” resident Gilda said. “I kind of know what they do in Mexico, but I didn’t know they did this. Everyone has been so nice. They’ve made us feel welcomed and have been so helpful.”

Her adult daughter Luvi felt that support right away—especially as the family began to absorb what had been lost.

“We did have a couple of Christmas presents that we had hidden for my siblings,” she said. “The other day we went back to see if they were salvageable, but they were ruined.”

Still, she said the Red Cross helped steady the chaos that followed the evacuation.

Back in the shelter, it was the girls’ simple conversation about Christmas that shifted everything. It was all the cue Red Cross teams needed to add a Santa hat to their red vests.

After a flurry of phone calls, Elaine Wolfe, board chair of the Red Cross Northwest Washington Chapter, set out to gather items from children’s wish lists—art supplies, spaceship Legos, magnetic blocks and play kitchen toys.

She then delivered a handful of those gifts to families sheltering in Monroe and Packwood. She also coordinated with Community Outreach volunteer Brad Feilburg to meet families and help deliver the gifts in Sumner.

All said, Elaine and her team of Red Cross elvs ensured that 22 children from displaced families each received something chosen just for them.

“All the kids have been taken care of today—over 20 kids—and I’m just feeling really good about that. A lot of teamwork, it was awesome."

No sleigh. No reindeer. No chimney required.

Just volunteers who understood that comfort isn’t only a blanket, hot meals and recovery assistance. Sometimes it’s ensuring a child who lived through a frightening night still gets to feel a bit of holiday magic.

"The kids getting the toys and the presents were very appreciative," Brad shared. "It was nice to bring them a little somethign during this bad time they are experiencing, to brighten up their Christmas."

In a year when floodwaters displaced them from their homes, Christmas found its way back to these families anyway—carried not in a sleigh, but in the hands of Red Cross volunteers.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.