Oceanne Belle didn't recognize the number that flashed on her phone screen.

So she blocked it. Twice.

The 49-year-old didn't think anything more about it. Couch-surfing with friends so she could afford to continue her studies to become a pediatric nurse, she had been forced out of her home due to rising rents. She had been working on her dissertation and was tired and stressed, according to a story on Good News Network's website.

Then the Omaze team showed up on her doorstep to let her know she had won the group's top prize of a multi-million-dollar townhome in West London. The townhome in the desirable area of Kensington and Chelsea comes mortgage-free, with all the tax and legal fees covered, according to the story.

The soon-to-be nurse won the four-story home on a $10 ticket for a lottery to raise funds for the United Kingdom's National Health Service.

Calling the prize the "best Christmas gift ever," Belle said of winning the townhome, which she is free to keep, sell, or rent out.

After she blocked the number, Belle got a text saying she had won the home. She texted back that it had to be a joke and blocked the number again.

Then the Omaze prize team showed up at the home where she was staying, the GNN story noted.

“I was greeted by the Omaze team singing funny Christmas carols," Belle said. "Then the next thing I knew, I’d won a house, and my life had changed forever."

Belle said she isn't sure what she is going to do long-term with the home, but she does know it will help her fulfill her dream to be a nurse and help others.

Like Belle, the Sandpoint Lions also want to help others. For them, that embodiment of love and generosity comes in the form of the club's annual Toys for Tots drive.

Today’s generous donations, totaling $3,350, come from June and Steven Temple, $100; Larry and Brigitte Sanborn, $100; Brian and Kathryn Powell, $100; Raymond and Roberta LaVoy, $250; anonymous, $150; Marguerite and Thomas Suttmeier, $100; 

Serve and Barbara Wilson, $500, "in memory of our son, "Todd Serve Wilson;" Bonner County Sportsmens Foundation, $300; Kochava, Inc., $750; and Water Systems Management Inc., $1,000 "from the gang at WSM."

To date, $21,575 has been raised. The goal for this year’s Toys for Tots campaign is $75,000, an increase over past years due to the number of people needing help.

The Lions make the most of the money by bargain shopping and with the assistance of generous local businesses. 

Funds raised during the annual campaign go to purchase new toys for area children — or gift cards for older youth — who live in the Lake Pend Oreille School District. Every Christmas, the Lions help almost 1,000 area children, from Sandpoint to Clark Fork and all points in between.

In addition, the Lions give a gift card to a local grocery store so that families can get supplies for their Christmas dinner.

The Lions started taking applications earlier this month, and demand for the program is already well above last year's total, with 100 more applications submitted during the first week than in 2022.

The club is accepting Toys for Tots applications until Dec. 15. Applications are available on the Lions' website, and printed copies are available on the door of the Lions Club, 609 S. Ella Ave.

Donations for Toys for Tots can be dropped off at the front desk at the Bonner County Daily Bee, 310 Church St., from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. You can also drop off donations (checks and cashier's checks) at Umpqua Bank’s Sandpoint branch, 414 Church St., or at the Ponderay branch, 300 Bonner Mall Way; and at the Ponderay Starbucks. 

Donations may be mailed to the Sandpoint Lions Club, Box 414, Sandpoint, ID 83864.

Donations made by check are preferred. Be sure to include a note with your check indicating that it is a Toys for Tots donation. If you wish to make an anonymous donation, please mention that in your note.

If the donation is being made in someone’s name, be sure to also include a note.

Information: Sandpoint Lions Club, 208-263-4118, or online at bit.ly/SandpointLions