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Hundreds of 'Little Wishes' need granting for local kids in foster care

Saturday's shopping day sold out, but there are still many "little wishes" to grant for kids in foster care before the holidays

KIRKWOOD, Mo. — 5 On Your Side partnered with the Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition to host a shopping day for the Holiday Little Wishes program on Saturday morning at the Kirkwood Walmart. 

The purpose of little the program is to donate Christmas presents for children in the foster care system in the St. Louis area. 

The coalition's Summer Renne said the program has provided 50,000 gifts to children in the system since it started 15 years ago. This year, there are more than 4,000 "little wishes" to grant. 

"That's more than we've had before," Renne said. 

RELATED: Grant a little wish for a child in foster care

Each "wish" is represented with an ornament with a child's name, gender, age and desired Christmas gift. On Saturday, shoppers were able to choose from nearly 500 ornaments. 

The coalition already pre-selected the gifts and set them up on a table. All shoppers had to do was pick them up, pay for them and drop them off at a station provided by Fed-Ex where the gifts were packaged and shipped to the children. 

Saturday's shopping day sold out. Renne said she has seen firsthand what these gifts mean to the children who receive them.

"They just light up," Renne said. "Knowing that someone they don't even know cares about them goes a long way."

Many shoppers on Saturday told 5 On Your Side that donating to Little Wishes has become a family tradition, with some even lining up to wait until the shopping began at 9:30 a.m. 

Even though Saturday's wishes were all granted, there are still hundreds more the coalition hopes to fill before the holidays. 

You can learn more about how to donate online using the link below. 

RELATED: Grant a little wish for a child in foster care

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