Spreading Christmas joy
Marines used OBI’s box truck to deliver toys to families unable to attend the Christmas Depot event.
One of hundreds of volunteers, Anne hands out stockings to parents at this year’s Christmas Depot.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – When 4-year-old Dazilah wakes up Christmas morning and races to see what is under the tree, she’ll find presents wrapped just for her—including a teddy bear in a tutu.
But that almost wasn’t the case. Her mom, LaVonne, is getting scheduled for fewer and fewer hours at work and money is tight.
But thanks to the Christmas Depot in Virginia Beach, “instead of her waking up to see nothing under the tree, she’ll have something,” LaVonne said.
For one week, parents who needed a little extra help this Christmas were able to find it. With help from Operation Blessing, the Joy Fund, Toys for Tots, and local news station WVEC, the Salvation Army was able to host quite a Christmas Depot.
Shelves at a local, unused warehouse were filled with Barbie Dolls, board games, teddy bears, and stockings full of goodies. Parents who signed up for assistance at the beginning of the school year were invited to come down and “shop” for their children.
The tradition dates back to 1905, when the Salvation Army first came to Norfolk. Every Christmas since, they have been helping families in need by providing toys for underprivileged children.
“The Christmas program is the hallmark of the Salvation Army,” said Matt Pochily, of the Salvation Army.
About 60 families cycle through the Christmas Depot every 15 minutes over the course of six days. In all, more than 9,000 families are blessed through the Christmas Depot.
According to Major Lewis Reckline, Tidewater Area Commander for the Salvation Army, this year has seen an increase in participation.
“A lot of families have gone from two incomes to one,” he said, adding that many of these families are unable to even pay their bills for the first time.
For several years, Operation Blessing has been partnering with the Salvation Army to provide assistance for the Christmas Depot. This year, OBI helped the marines’ program Toys for Tots by providing a 26 foot box truck and a full size van for toy pickups during the month leading up to the Depot. The truck was also used to deliver toys to some families who could not attend the Depot.
OBI also donated Bible action figure toys and put together a workforce of volunteers to help pull it all off.
“Without the volunteers, we’d be doing this into January,” Reckline said.
Anne, a switchboard operator, decided to volunteer her time to help families at the Depot this year. “God pours into our lives all year long,” she said, “it’s good to be able to give back and see the joy in people’s faces.”
Anne’s husband also volunteered, despite the fact that they too are facing lean times after he lost his job two years ago.
“The tears and gratitude in the eyes of those we help make it all worth the effort,” Anne said.
HOW YOU CAN HELP: Operation Blessing is helping to transform the futures of children like these by providing clean water, education assistance, nutritional feeding programs, medical care and more.
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