For over 10 years, members of the Living Waters Christian Fellowship Church have sat inside the Shopko in the Pine Ridge Mall in Chubbuck during the holiday season and wrapped gifts.

Church members volunteer to wrap gifts for the Shop with a Cop event every year, which is also held at Shopko, but the weekend after the event, they set up their own present wrapping booth in the store.

According to Tifani Schmoe, a member of the church, the annual event began years ago to raise funds for building a new church. The original church building was torn down as it needed extensive repairs that would be more expensive than a new building.

Since then, the church has been meeting in a building on Garrett Way while they try to raise the funds necessary.

The gift wrapping fundraiser helps, but Schmoe said it is done entirely on donations, and they don’t require people to pay.

“I think for the first couple of years we did do it for a price,” she said. “But we just realized that we want to help people and give back to people and show them the love of Jesus.”

Throughout the years, Schmoe said they have wrapped thousands of presents and usually wrap hundreds each season.

“We have some people that only bring one or two gifts and others that will bring cartfuls,” she said. “This time of year is really hard for people, emotionally and financially, so we just want to be able to be a blessing to our community.”

Schmoe added that aside from offering the community affordable or even free gift wrapping, church members have gained relationships with community members through the annual booth.

“We have the same people that come back year after year, and it’s awesome,” she said. “People are really struggling nowadays, and we want to help however we can to make sure that everyone is able to take care of their loved ones.”

The church has previously tried other fundraising options such as selling fireworks for the Fourth of July, but Schmoe said there was always significant competition, and nothing has so far boded as well for them as their gift wrapping station.

“This is really our heart and soul,” Schmoe said. “This time of year and being able to help people.”

Church members hope, however, that their giving will soon pay off, and they will be able to realize the dream of a new church building they have held for so many years.

“We have plans, but we haven’t broke ground or anything because it takes a lot of money for that to happen,” Schmoe said.

The church’s gift wrapping booth will be located at the front of Shopko near the checkout stations until Christmas Eve, and though donations are appreciated, they are not mandatory.

“We just want to help the community during the Christmas season,” Schmoe said. “And we just like to give back.”