Pocatello man spreading Christmas cheer by donating Nativity scenes

POCATELLO – Christmas is a difficult time of year for many people who struggle with issues like depression and financial stress, making the holidays feel more like a chore than a joy. A Pocatello man has found a unique way to bring a little bit of the joy and peace of the season to local families.

Tod Krumenacker has started a fundraiser on Facebook with the goal of providing families with Nativity scenes for Christmas. He said the idea to start this Nativity drive fundraiser grew out of a recent family tradition.

“A couple of years ago, I had a Nativity set that I’d gotten a while back and my wife wanted to give it to one of her relatives because they didn’t have one,” Krumenacker told EastIdahoNews.com. “So we gave it to her and ended up getting another one later on and it’s kind of turned into a little tradition over the past couple of years that we’ll get a new Nativity set and find someone to give a Nativity set to.”

As Krumenacker was thinking about how the Christmas season can be a struggle to get through, he remembered the feelings nativity scenes have always inspired in him.

“The Nativity and what it represents brings me peace and reminds me of things that are important,” he said. “So I thought it would be kind of cool to gets some Nativity sets and give them out to people who don’t have one sitting in their home.”

Once he decided to spread the Christmas spirit by giving out Nativity scenes, Krumenacker turned to Facebook as a means of getting word of his project out and gathering donations.

“That’s how I do everything,” he said. “Every once in a while, I’ll do little fundraisers. I’ve done fundraisers for friends in the past. Facebook is where I can reach the most people and the best way I know how to do it.”

“With this one I’m doing now, I’m actually trying to reach outside of Facebook and hoping to approach some local businesses to see if I can get businesses to make a small donation to sponsor a Nativity,” he added.

Krumenacker said he hopes that by giving families a Nativity, he’s also giving them a reminder of what Christmas is truly about.

“I’ve got six kids and sometimes Christmas can be pretty stressful financially,” he said. “But I find that whenever that stress comes, that if my family and I turn back to the reason why we celebrate Christmas — the birth of Christ and the hope and peace that comes from that — the other things that seemed like they were … a bigger deal fade into the background.”

Krumenacker is currently gathering funds and Nativity sets to give out. He will find families to receive his Nativity sets through Facebook and through church groups. If you are interested in donating money or a Nativity scene, visit the fundraiser’s Facebook page.