Steve Baker

The Lehigh Acres Kiwanis Store will have an open house on Dec. 17 at its store at 15 Homestead Rd. South. Santa Claus will be on hand for photos and also hand out Christmas gifts to children under 12.

“The public is invited for the celebration,” said Steve Baker of the Kiwanis Club, who is the store’s manager.

The Kiwanis Thrift store is the third largest retail outlet in Lehigh. It sells new and used clothing, furniture, TV, appliances and other household items. All the proceeds from the store go to help the youth of Lehigh.

Baker said Henry Gomez, an employee at the Thrift Store, will become Santa, and will be decked out in red with long white whiskers.

“We have a beautiful decorated Christmas tree and we’re going to raffle it off at the open house,” Baker said.

There will also be a special sale of items with Baker saying that most things will be 20 percent off that day.

“We’re calling it our Black Saturday,” he laughed. “Like the day after Thanksgiving being called Black Friday.”

Many members of the Kiwanis Club will be on hand to greet the public and there may even be some entertainment, Baker said.

Items for sale at the Thrift Store are all donated. They must be in good to excellent condition. The club will send a driver to your house to pick up donated items. To contact the store for donations, call 369-6336. All gifts are tax deductible, for this tax year, if they are donated by the end of the year.