Penticton game shop gifting a Nintendo Switch for the second year to a family in need for the holidays

Photo: Contributed

The spirit of giving is back to help a family have a special present this holiday season, thanks to a contest held by a Penticton small business.

Trevor Sparreboom, the owner of a retro video game shop, posted on Facebook on Friday that he’s once again giving away a Nintendo Switch bundle for a local family who needs a little extra.

Game Cave Videogames & Amusements will be donating a Nintendo Switch console with two games and a carrying case and a $50 gift certificate.

Last year, Sparreboom saw a massive amount of messages from families after he opened up submissions, and this year looks no different.

“I have already received, God, probably close to 100 nominations. It's crazy. It's all so overwhelming,’ he shared. “It's always tough to decide on just one person.”

Nominations can be sent by private message to the Game Cave Facebook page or to Sparreboom himself until Dec. 17, highlighting someone that’s in need. People are welcome to nominate themselves too, as many families have had a tough year.

“I know the last couple years have been a struggle for a lot of people and I've been blessed enough to have a business that's taken off. So I'm happy to give back and help out where I can.”

The chosen family will be notified on Saturday, Dec. 18 of their win and Sparreboom will arrange the pickup/drop off of the gift.

One person so far has come in to add to the Christmas giving, donating a Namco Counter-top Mini Arcade unit. This will be donated to a second family.

Last year the shop saw the community buy extra presents from the store to give away.

“I just started this yesterday. So if it's anything like last year, I imagine in the next couple weeks, it'll probably snowball again. I'm sure I'll see more stuff coming in. I never expected that but that's what happened last year, so I wouldn't be surprised if that happened again this year too,” Sparreboom added.

All nominations will remain anonymous with the winner only being publicized if they authorize it.

“If you are a family, or know of a family who could use a little brightness this holiday season, please send me a private message.”

All nominations will remain anonymous with the winner only being publicized if they authorize it.

Sparreboom added that he hopes to make the gifts an annual giveaway from his store.