Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, December 12, 1993 TAG: 9312120025
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MICHAEL STOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Long
But it was 11-year-old Sam Barnett's story about the gifts he gave his parents from the Christmas Store that touched Shawsville Elementary School teacher Belinda Rossi.
"My family used to be real, real poor and I had to go to the Christmas Store about five times," the fifth-grader read from his journal.
"When it was my turn to go, I got my mom a vacuum cleaner and my dad a saw and hammer. The saw and hammer and vacuum are what got us back on our feet. Now we are not the ones getting gifts from the Christmas Store. We are giving gifts to the Christmas Store."
"I was just in tears," Rossi said. "It showed such a genuine spirit."
Flashback to December 1989: Sam's mom, Melinda Bailey, and his stepfather, Billy Bailey, both were out of work.
The couple was trying to take care of themselves and Melinda's two young boys on an unemployment check of less than $100 a week.
The family had no telephone. The power company was on the verge of cutting off the electricity to their rented trailer.
"We just didn't have anything," Melinda recalled. "It was just really, really rough."
But they had a nice Christmas.
Melinda went to the Christmas Store and got new outfits, underwear, socks and a few toys - including a Teen-age Mutant Ninja Turtle and a basketball - for the boys. She also got a Christmas tree and plenty of food for a big holiday dinner.
Sam and his 8-year-old brother, Daniel, picked out gifts for their parents.
All of it was free.
The special store is designed to let families in need shop for holiday gifts from shelves and racks stocked with goods that have been donated or purchased with money contributions.
Families do not shop with money, but with an assigned number of points. The store allocates 100 points to each child and the merchandise is tagged with point values. Sweaters and pants usually cost around 10 points while toys and electronic items range from 30 to 50 points.
Melinda Bailey said her family might still be struggling in poverty if not for the kindness they were shown at the Christmas Store.
"I felt like it was an angel looking down over us," she said. "Without people caring like that, sometimes you don't have the incentive to go on."
In the last four years, Melinda has opened her own business, Busy Bee Cleaning Service. Her husband has gotten a contracting job that pays nearly $9 an hour.
The family has bought a new home, two cars and, just recently, new living room furniture.
"It's a great feeling to know where we were and how far we have come," Melinda said.
Success stories like the Bailey family's make Glenn Tyndall glad he helped start the Christmas Store in 1982.
For years, Tyndall had been delivering Christmas baskets to needy families. He often became frustrated because there weren't enough baskets to go around and families that did receive help were often embarrassed when they were given the handout.
"We just knew there had to be a way for us to do this with a little more dignity," Tyndall said. "It was just a small idea that has grown gradually."
The store - modeled after a similar operation in Norman, Okla. - served 267 families the first year, compared with nearly 1,300 this year. Its success influenced some Salem volunteers to start a similar operation there called the Community Christmas Store.
The Montgomery County store is in the former Heck's Department Store on Roanoke Street directly across from Hills.
Recipients must be permanent residents of Montgomery County and have income less than 125 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of four, that is $17,937 a year.
Top priority is given to families with children under age 14, senior citizens and disabled individuals.
Joyce Hendricks, co-chairwoman of this year's store, said 94 families that applied were ineligible.
Linda Dowdy of Blacksburg said she liked shopping at the Christmas Store because customers are allowed to browse through the clothing and toys and pick out what they want.
"I think it's great. These people here are doing a good thing," Dowdy said as she shopped Thursday. Dowdy said she is working two jobs to support herself and her 13-year-old daughter.
As shoppers arrive, they are assigned a host volunteer to guide them through the store, which is divided into sections for different age groups. Parents with young children shop in the toy and clothing departments. Items found in the toy department include Talking Barney, Mr. Potato Head, Cabbage Patch dolls and Sesame Street character dolls.
Volunteers also make sure that each child receives socks and underwear without spending any points. Each family also is given a Christmas dinner package that includes turkey, ham, sugar, flour, potatoes, cake mix, oranges and apples.
"If it wasn't for this, I would be wondering where Christmas is going to come from," said Janet Chrisley, who was shopping for her teen-age son and daughter and her 3-year-old granddaughter.
The Christmas Store receives no state or federal money. It relies on contributions from individuals and businesses in the area. The 1993 budget was $97,000, although organizers have not received enough donations to reach that goal yet.
The store is run soley by volunteers. Nearly 500 citizens worked there during three shopping days last week. Shoppers can earn an additional 30 buying points by helping out at the store.
"This is my first year here and it's pretty neat," said volunteer Hedda Stewart. "It's nice just to be here and help the people that couldn't have this if it wasn't for the store."
The Montgomery County Christmas Store accepts contributions year- round. Anyone wishing to make a contribution can mail it to: P.O. Box 221, Blacksburg 24063.
by CNB