Christmas for children in foster care was a lot merrier this year thanks to the generosity of Arizona businesses and community partners, according to a release from the Arizona Department of Child Safety.

Roughly 45 businesses and community partners from across the state donated over $100,000 in gifts for children in foster care as part of DCS’ fourth annual Giving Tree Program.

Beginning in November, participants in the program picked a “leaf” from a “giving tree” which contains the wish list for a child in foster care. They then dropped off their presents at a DCS office and staff delivered them to the children.

This year, 1,761 children received gifts through the program.

“The holiday season can be hard on children in foster care,” said DCS Director Mike Faust. “But seeing the community come together to let these kids know that they are not alone in their difficult time defines the essence of the holiday spirit.”

The program allows the community to touch the lives of children in foster care during the holiday season, the release states.

“We had an excellent experience,” said Florence Town Clerk Patricia Buchanan. “The program brought a lot of awareness of the foster program to our community and staff” “Having the ability to give back to this amazing community and buy for an individual, specific child, allows us to really focus on creating a special holiday experience for each child,” said Jennifer Lucovich, senior financial advisor and vice president of Investments at BMO Harris Financial Advisors. “Every year we try to challenge ourselves with serving more children in Foster Care.”

Among the participating organizations are Arizona State University and the Universisty of Arizona; the Arizona Department of Administration; Arizona’s Children Association; the town of Florence; IBM; Honor Health; and Paradise Valley Community College.