BOZEMAN — Stuffed animals. Sol de Janeiro perfume sets. Stocking stuffers.
Thanks to non-profit Hope & The Holidays, more than 1,500 kids will wake up to Christmas presents under the tree this year.
“We’re here to provide Christmas for kids,” said Sandy Feeney, who has volunteered at Hope & The Holidays since it was formed in 2010.
“This is obviously a passion of mine. This is my Christmas; my family doesn’t get Christmas,” said Feeney.
“People call the Santa hotline, which is me, and I get all the information about their families, how many kids, the ages,” she added.
The Bozeman-based non-profit provides toys, books, and food baskets to kids and teenagers within a 100-mile radius.
“Even though we have lots of people moving to Bozeman, we also have a lot of them that are here and working two and three jobs to be able to stay here and that’s why we’re here,” said Feeney.
The program is possible because of donations from the community.
“This is one of the most giving communities I’ve been a part of, and we can always count on people to help us out,” said Feeney.
🎁 See how one Bozeman nonprofit is making Christmas possible for 1,500+ kids
Feeny says Hope & The Holidays has served 600 families so far this season.
“I would imagine we’re going to end up with close to 650 families, which is going to be over 1,500 kids,” said Feeney.
Feeney says this is a significant increase from the start of the program.
“We used to have, you know, under 1,000,” said Feeney. “Exponentially, it just keeps growing.”
So, why does Hope & The Holidays continue to serve more families? Feeney says, “I think that has a lot to do with what’s happening with the economy.”
According to the Consumer Price Index, inflation levels sit at 2.7% as of December 2025, which is her than the Federal Reserve’s target of 2%.
Feeney explains that Hope & The Holidays works to have a variety of toys for the kids that come through. That includes Nerf guns, basketballs, makeup, baby toys, LEGOs and more.
She says the success of this program is all thanks to the nearly 100 volunteers who make it happen and the community.
“I just want to say thank you to the community because without all of their support, we wouldn’t be able to do all that we do,” said Feeney.
If you’re interested in learning more about Hope & The Holidays, visit this link.
