It was Hopelink public relations coordinator Kris Betker’s first time experiencing Microsoft’s Giving Tree event on Thursday morning — it’s safe to say that she’s now hooked on it.

“I couldn’t miss it. People get so excited about this event,” she said. “If you need any holiday spirit, this is where you find it.”

As Betker and Hopelink volunteers Chris Cooper and Derek Babine collected gifts from Microsoft buildings and placed them in a truck and a Redmond Medic One vehicle, they had pleased looks on their faces that were doing something special for others.

The trio was among about 50 volunteers who strolled the Microsoft campus to pick up gifts for their organizations: Hopelink, Senior Services, Friends of Youth and Boys and Girls Clubs of Rainier Vista and Snohomish.

In all, Microsoft employees donate about 15,000 gifts per year, according to Giving Tree coordinator Stacey Key, who launched the program 19 years ago.

Microsoft also provides financial support to the five organizations.

“We’re almost at $1 million in matching funds,” she told the volunteers before the event of Microsoft’s 19-year monetary giving total. “(People are) really starting to take notice at Microsoft.”