Salvation Army gives gift of Christmas to hundreds of local families in need
By Becky Barclay
Published in News on December 21, 2014 1:50 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Erica McDonald of Fremont, right, hugs and thanks Salvation Army volunteer Laura Shivar after loading up her car with toys and bikes for her four children.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Sara Davis loads a bike from the Salvation Army for Christmas into her car for her daughter Anna Mae Hare whose sister, Lacie Barrow, recently died. Sara will leave one of the presents donated to Lacie under the tree this Christmas in her memory and donate the rest to friends.
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Volunteer Ben Rouse loads a cart with toys for one of the needy families who came to get some help with Christmas.
Lacie Dawn Barrow loved to hear her mother read a story.
She also loved playing with her daddy's ears.
But what thrilled the little girl more than anything else was just being held.
And she would have loved the clothes and toys she would have received from the Salvation Army's annual Christmas giveaway for needy families.
But Lacie was not able to make it to this Christmas. She died nine days ago.
The 4-year-old had a rare congenital illness that restricted her growth. So, even though she was almost a preschooler, she was the size of an 18-month-old.
Lacie had a feeding tube and didn't talk or crawl, but that did not matter to her mother, Sara Davis, and the rest of her family.
To them, Lacie was an angel.
Lacie was one of a little more than 400 local children whose names were placed on the Salvation Army's angel trees this year. Families were interviewed back in October to determine if there really was a need for help.
Parents and guardians went to the Salvation Army's distribution center this Friday to pick up clothes, toys, a box of food and a gift card to Carlie C's so their children could have something under the tree this year. Parents attended a short program on the real meaning of Christmas before picking up the items.
Sara picked up items meant for Lacie and her sister, Annah Mae Hare, 9, Thursday.
Part of this Christmas gift in Lacie's honor will be to donate some of the items to others who need them.
"I have other family members and friends with children," Sara said. "I will give some of the clothes and toys to them for Christmas. I want to make sure Lacie has one present under the tree, though. I think it will bring back a little more spirit to her sister when she sees Santa didn't forget about Lacie."
Robert Jones and Angela Jackson went to Friday's distribution to get clothes and toys for their combined family of eight children ranging in age from 7 years to 3 months old.
"I just recently started working, and it was hard on Robert to do it by himself," Angela said. "If not for the Salvation Army, our kids would not have had much under the tree this year."
"I worked two jobs," Robert said. "We knew Christmas would be tight, so we figured if we could get a little help, we'd get it. It's definitely God-sent."
It was their first time going to the Christmas program.
It was also the first time for Shaquaynnia Jones, who said she never really needed the help before.
"I just recently lost my job," she said. "So if not for the Salvation Army, my kids would have nothing under the tree this year. My kids know that I'm not working, so they didn't really want much this year."
India Barrett is no stranger to the Salvation Army's Christmas program. She rang the bell for the organization nine years ago as an ROTC student at Eastern Wayne High School.
"It was great," she said. "I got to raise money for a good cause."
Now she needs help from the group she helped.
"Our house burned down a few years ago, and the Salvation Army was a huge help," India said. "And if not for the Salvation Army, my four kids would probably have just a few clothes under the tree, really not a whole lot. The look on their faces when they see all this stuff under the tree on Christmas morning makes it all worth it."
Ben Rouse was amazed to see all the good that the Salvation Army and the community is doing through the Christmas program.
The 18-year-old volunteered for the first time this year.
"It was eye-opening," he said. "I was talking to one lady who's raising 13 children, six of her own and the others she's adopted. She got a bike for one of her adopted children, who had gotten his stolen earlier this year."
This was the second year Julius Herring has volunteered at the event.
"One lady came in and said her 11-year-old daughter had never had a bike before," he said. "She said she was blessed to have the bicycle and that her daughter likes 'Frozen' and the bike was the same color as that. She cried."
Capt. Julie Igleheart with the Salvation Army said it was an amazing year.
"We had the most volunteers we have ever had," she said. "The community just really showed up this year and bought Christmas for these kids. All the names on the angel trees were adopted."
Mrs. Igleheart said the Salvation Army does its Christmas program every year because everybody needs a helping hand every once in a while.
"I grew up with a single mom and know how hard it is for some of these parents to live paycheck to paycheck or week to week," she said. "God has called each and every one of us to help out the down and out."