Nearly 200 families are expected to shop at the 10th annual Christmas Store, hosted by the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and The Foundry Church on Friday.

The event, held at the UMB Community and Engagement Center, helps alleviate the financial burden of holiday shopping for families.

Toys and money are donated throughout the year and then deeply discounted for Baltimore communities to shop.

"Everything is so expensive right now, especially with the economy," said Malika Brown, a Cherry Hill resident, shopping for her four children. "This is a resource not only for West Baltimore but for Baltimore City as a whole."

"It's top of the line..."

Lindsay Ferguson, the Operations and Outreach Pastor for The Foundry, explained that other holiday giveaways don't always allow parents to pick gifts for their children. The Christmas Store still allows them, however, to play Santa, without breaking the bank.

"There's a lot of parents that want to be involved in this," said Ferguson. They just don't have the money to be able to do it themselves. So how do we create a store where parents have the joy of saying I bought this and I picked it out myself."

The Christmas Store boasts an inventory of Barbies, free books, sports items, and much more available at a discounted rate.

"It's top of the line," said Brown. "You have the name-brand Fisher-Price, and sometimes those odds and ends are like LED lights that teenagers may like. So there's something here for everybody."

The Christmas Store is open Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the UMB Community and Engagement Center and is open to anyone, without the need to sign up, with all items available on a first-come, first-served basis.