AUBURN -- A massive crowd overwhelmed organizers at this year’s Holiday of Hope event in Auburn.
Last year, about 150 people came to a benefit organized by the Forsaken Generation Charity This year, the Holiday Inn had to shut the doors and turn away hundreds after more than five hundred people packed the ballroom and maxed out the fire department's safety limit.
Sean Wrench, Holiday of Hope organizer said, "By having them all in one location and seeing how overwhelming that was, I hope people really take a look at that and say we have to help the people in our community."
While organizers dealt with the crowd, volunteers from the Holiday Inn did what they could to meet the need. Some Holiday Inn staff collected money to buy more toys while others got to work in the kitchen.
Linda Knight, general manager of the Holiday Inn said, "The kitchens started preparing pasta and putting some food together and some of the employees got together, bundled some money and ran over to Little Caeser’s and brought back pizza."
The Salvation Army’s massive Christmas distribution is just a few days away. Organizers say it's unfortunate the Auburn site was overwhelmed and said it stresses the importance of registering families beforehand and making sure you know just how many people will walk through the door.
Liddy Hintz, from the Salvation Army, says "A lot of what happens beforehand, people don't see and then say 'wow - this runs so smoothly!' Well, you didn't see us for the months of work we've done and even the days leading up to it make a big difference."
The organizer says the Forsaken Generation will require registration for next year's event and will receive advice from the Salvation Army on how to best handle the demand for help.
