Los Altos United Methodist Church (LAUMC) has a long tradition of giving to those in need – from its continued involvement in Compassion Week after founding it in 2012 to its many service projects around the Bay Area and beyond. At Christmastime, this service takes the form of collecting donations via a giving tree, now known as the “Christmas Love Tree.”
This year, LAUMC is partnering with the Mountain View Police Department’s long-running Cops That Care program, which provides toys and gifts for roughly 1,000 Mountain View children referred by local schools.
2026 will mark Cops That Care’s 24th annual toy and gift drive event. MVPD’s Facebook page says the drive “reflects the true spirit of the season, community partnership, compassion, and service.”
LAUMC’s Christmas Love program leader Susie Buchholz said one of Cops That Care’s biggest donors had to reduce donations by 50% this year, so LAUMC’s gifts will really help.
The Christmas Love tree process is simple: A tree is “decorated” with paper tags, each denoting a gift that a particular recipient would like.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Buchholz said of the giving tree. “Our members are very happy to support something that feels so personal – ‘Here’s a 7-year’old boy who loves the Sharks.’” Some donors choose multiple tags.
The tree will be up from the Sunday after Thanksgiving through Dec. 6, with purchased gifts due back at church on Dec. 13.
But the love doesn’t end there. Buchholz said that in addition to providing gifts, LAUMC volunteers have adorned Cops That Care collection bins that will be distributed throughout the area, and they will be helping the police decorate the hall in Rengstorff Community Center – where all the excitement happens on Dec. 19 – including bringing in and decorating some artificial Christmas trees.
“I suspect we’ll be spreading Christmas love throughout the year,” Buchholz said, with plans for mentoring and various other activities in the works.
“It’s about Christmas love – about spreading love, particularly at Christmas,” Buchholz said.
For more information on Cops That Care, contact program coordinator Guiuliana Leopold, School Resource Officer, at (650) 448-9780 or [email protected]. In addition to gifts, monetary donations are accepted.
Los Altos United Methodist Church is located at 655 Magdalena Ave. For more information, visit laumc.org.
