Even in broad daylight, Mark Ingles’ home is a visual embodiment of the Christmas spirit.

Whether you’re a lover of classic holiday shows like “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” or your tastes run toward the religious Christmas symbols, Ingles’ house at 4910 Nugent Drive is a feast for the eyes.

But at about 4:30 p.m., as dusk begins to fall, the house transforms into a brilliant light show that draws hundreds of passersby each year.

“One couple told me they were flying in from Colorado Springs, and they saw it from the air,” Ingles said.

The display, which includes about 6,000 lights, serves another purpose besides sharing holiday cheer. For the 10th year, Ingles is using his light show, accompanied by Christmas jingles and carols, to collect food donations for the less fortunate in Colorado Springs.

Last year, Ingles collected 2,600 pounds in nonperishable food donations for the Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado. This year, he’s hoping to take in an even bigger haul.

“I’m shooting for at least 3,000 pounds of food,” Ingles said.

Ingles has always loved the Christmas season, and whenever possible, he has turned that love into a visual display outside his home. In 2014, inspired by the large number of people who stopped by to see the lights and figures outside his house, he decided to use the display for a higher purpose.

“I had a lot of people coming by, so I started to wonder if I could do something more,” he said.

He placed a small Igloo cooler in front of his house and collected a total of 115 pounds of food the first year.

“I thought that was awesome,” he said. “But I also thought there was potential for more.”

Two years later, Ingles placed a donated chest freezer outside the home, and the amount grew exponentially. The freezer is inoperable, and he warms the inside with Christmas lights because, he has learned, “canned food can go bad if you freeze it.”

Occasionally passersby who wanted to donate, but didn’t have canned goods with them, would place cash in the freezer, Ingles said.

“As much as I appreciated the gesture, it was actually kind of a pain to dig (the cash) out,” he said, laughing. “But it gave me another idea.”

In 2021, Ingles added a mailbox with a slot for monetary donations. It typically raises hundreds of dollars in cash, which he donates to the Springs Rescue Mission.

Ingles recently acquired another partner in his giving mission. Timberline Landscaping uses one of its trucks to haul the donations to the food bank. The company also hangs lights on the large aspen tree in his front yard.

“They have been an incredible partner,” he said. “This year, they’re going to start their own food collection, and they will add the food they rise to my total. That’s pretty cool.”

Ingles began working on this year’s light display shortly after Halloween, spending hours each day — often after work — placing lights and display items around his house and yard. By Thanksgiving, it was ready for showing.

The result of all that work is a dazzling exhibit that has inspired other neighbors to follow suit, he said.

But his main source of satisfaction is the knowledge that his light display will help feed in-need individuals and families in Colorado Springs.

“I love doing this,” he said. “It brings smiles to people’s faces, and it gives them the opportunity to help other people in the community during the Christmas season.”

Ingles acknowledges that 3,000 pounds of food is an ambitious goal. But even if he doesn’t reach that goal, he knows that his light display has inspired many residents and visitors to help others during the holiday season.

“When you give, you get so much in return,” he said. “Part of the Christmas spirit is in doing things for others. If more people did that, think of the difference it would make.”