Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 22, 1995 TAG: 9511220015
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: ADRIANNE BEE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Long
Francine and her 11-year-old daughter, Hayley, packed what they could salvage and came to Christiansburg to live with family. The novelty of water skiers cruising by their home, sending waves through their living room, had more than worn off.
They didn't have much when they arrived, but thanks to the Montgomery County Christmas Store, they had Christmas.
"When I saw this place, it totally blew me away; I could not believe it," said Francine,who asked that her last name not be used. "My daughter would not have had Christmas if it wasn't for the Christmas Store."
Today, Francine is part of a smiling crew of people sorting canned goods in the store, in the former Heck's across from Hill's in Christiansburg. Virginia Tech sororities and fraternities gathered 15 shopping carts full of canned food in a drive last Sunday.
The store will open to needy families Wednesday, Dec. 6.
Senior citizens from the Retired Senior Volunteer Program have just finished tying ribbons around packs of Christmas cards. "We enjoyed it," says one woman as she puts on a scarf and walks out into the first snow of winter. "We'll see you next week."
Here's how it works: Montgomery County families who meet the federal poverty guidelines and have dependent children are the store's main focus. Disabled senior citizens or emergency cases, such as families burned out of their homes, also are considered. They must apply by Dec. 1 to be eligible. Last year, 1,374 families found their Christmas at the store.
The store offers them choice and dignity instead of handouts.
"They can choose what they want," said Joyce Hendricks, a member of the store's executive board last year and volunteer this season.
When parents go to the store to "shop" for their children, a host or hostess meets them at the door and guides them through the store. Instead of price tags, the blue jeans and sweaters, stuffed animals and games have point values on their tags.
Each family may spend 100 points per child. About half of the families volunteer at the store and earn extra points, according to Hendricks.
Joyce Abbott is one of these volunteers. Today she is sorting out donated clothes with two other mothers: Paige McPeak and Melissa Redden. This will be the first Christmas the divorced Abbott will be on her own to provide gifts for her 16-year-old daughter. "With paying all the bills I have already, this Christmas seemed a little iffy," Abbott said
A teen gift department with curling irons, basketballs, radios, "you name it," Hendricks said, will come in handy for mothers like Abbott.
Redden, who has two children, has been involved in the Christmas Store for the past three years. "My husband just got his hours cut so it will really help out," she said.
Other "shopping" departments include a new homes area stocked with blankets, pots, pans, towels and dishes. A new-toys area has Tonka trucks, Big Wheels and dolls. A used-toys area has bikes for five or 10 points. And in the used-clothing corner, families can fill a large bag free of points after they finish shopping.
A senior section is filled mostly with clothes. "I get all of my clothes at the Christmas Store," Hendricks remembers one older woman telling her. She remembers another who came to the store barefoot and left carrying her new boots in a plastic bag - "I don't want to get them dirty," she told Hendricks.
Each child receives a full new outfit, right down to socks and underwear. "A lot of kids come in without socks," said Hendricks, a veteran of the 14-year-old store. "We try to make sure they leave with two or three pairs."
Every family also gets Christmas dinner. They carry home a ham and the works - potatoes, bread, oranges. ... Hendricks stops at oranges and says, "I watched this one girl, about 12 years old last year, when they set the oranges down in her family's cart. Her eyes got so big, and I thought 'Wow, I just go to Kroger any time and buy oranges,' but this was just amazing to her."
Each child also leaves with a coat. "It's mind-boggling to see how many of these kids don't have one," Hendricks said. "Sometimes there are teachers who will tell you half of their class could use one." Leftover coats often are given to local principals to hand out privately to children who need them.
The store has a nursery with attendants, an area with refreshments and even entertainment for the children. Last year, it was a puppet show; this year, the rumor is the Tech football team may sing some carols.
A gift room for the children allows them to shop for three gifts for their family. "One boy insisted on a wreath, and we couldn't find one," recalls Hendricks of a past Christmas Store shopping period. "Finally, we found out his mom had died three weeks earlier and he just wanted something to put on her grave."
The stories she and veteran volunteers Rose Marie Reilly and Hazel Casar recall get more amazing, such as one family without a car who traveled by foot in the snow to the store from their home in Cambria.
Churches, stores and restaurants help by donating goods. Anything left over goes back into the community's food or clothing banks. Unused money is spent on purchases for next year's store.
Hendricks buys infants' coats in February when they go on sale. For these volunteers, Christmas is a year-round project.
by CNB