VALDOSTA —
Approximately 1,200 children will have a brighter Christmas morning this year thanks to the annual Empty Stocking Fund and the continued generosity of The Valdosta Daily Times’ readers.
While each registered child will receive Christmas presents, Salvation Army Capt. Monica Nickum said the challenge this year is that some children will not get what they asked for. There is always a need for bicycles and video-game players. There is a need to sponsor gifts for children under 6 months, too.
In hopes of filling these Christmas dreams, the Salvation Army is looking for adopting sponsors in addition to the donors whose names are regularly listed in The Times throughout late November and December.
Last year, the Empty Stocking Fund raised $27,878.68 — a nearly $10,000 increase from the 2010 Empty Stocking Fund.
Margie Blanton of Guardian Bank has kept the Empty Stocking account for the past several years.
“So many little children in our community get a Christmas that they normally wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for the Empty Stocking Fund,” Blanton said. “And the children are what it’s all about. It’s simply amazing to see the outpouring of support from the people in our area and so many contributions also come from out of town and even other states.”
For decades, the Empty Stocking Fund has been ensuring that no Valdosta or Lowndes County youngsters awake Christmas morning to an empty stocking.
The Valdosta Daily Times started the Empty Stocking Fund in the mid 20th century. The Times partners with the Salvation Army and Guardian Bank in presenting the Empty Stocking Fund campaign each year.
“We live in a community that pulls together for the benefit of children,” said Jeff Masters, The Times publisher. “The generosity that shines through especially during the holidays is incredible and, I for one, appreciate our dedicated contributors in the Valdosta-Lowndes community.”
As for the Salvation Army, Capt. Nickum began work weeks ago for the annual Christmas charity.
She held registration for the Empty Stocking Fund families in early October. Registration has been closed for weeks.
From her list of registered children, Nickum checks with the Department of Family and Children Services and other Christmas toy organizations to ensure that no family is double-dipping. Empty Stocking families are receiving gifts only from the Empty Stocking Fund, Nickum says.
Also, under Nickum’s supervision, families are only allowed to register children for the Empty Stocking Fund for three consecutive years.
In late December, when it’s time for families to pick up their toys, Nickum does not want children attending. Partly so the child can enjoy the surprise of the gifts on Christmas morning and also to hopefully deter the children from growing up thinking they are not responsible for providing their children with Christmas presents. So they will not come to adulthood expecting someone to provide them with Christmas presents in the future.
Each registered child provides the Salvation Army with a Christmas wish list of toys. Nickum would prefer shopping for the toys personally but this has proven a logistical inconvenience for Walmart, where the majority of the toys are purchased. In October, Nickum provided Walmart with the children’s lists. The store then spends several days stocking the toys for Nickum and her volunteers to pick up.
Nickum arranges these items by child and by family. As distribution days near, these packages will be arranged in separate grids taped out on a warehouse floor. On the Saturday prior to distributions days, the Outback Riders will hold the group’s annual Toy Ride, bringing hundreds of more toys. Nickum and volunteers will spend the afternoon distributing these toys to the packages throughout the gridded floor.
For distribution, Nickum will schedule appointments for each family to send an adult representative to pick up the toys. She will schedule 60 families per hour. This avoids a mad rush of 1,200 families all arriving at once to claim their toys. This way, people keep their appointments and the toys disappear grid box by grid box, row by row, in an orderly fashion.
Distribution days are scheduled for Dec. 18, 19.
Local News
Related Photos
-
Last year, the Empty Stocking Fund raised $27,878.68 — a nearly $10,000 increase from the 2010 Empty Stocking Fund.
Discussion
Filling the Stocking
Empty Stocking campaign helps Valdosta children
- Local News
-
-
Lowndes County facing budget woes
In a brief meeting Tuesday evening, Lowndes County Commissioners and a small audience reviewed a power point presentation compiled by Finance director Stephanie Black, which shows a rather bleak picture for this fiscal year.
-
Celebrating Juneteenth
Some find it hard to look US slavery in its eyes when glancing back on history, but the Juneteeth committee reminded Valdostans how a people persevered through the barbaric institution as they held the city's 21st annual Juneteenth celebration at Mathis City Auditorium on Tuesday evening.
-
Child drowns in family pool
Emergency workers raced a two-year-old child to South Georgia Medical Center from a Pearl Davis Road residence Monday evening in response to a reported drowning, but the toddler did not respond to resuscitation efforts, according to reports from the Lowndes County Sheriff's Office.
-
Easter Seals benefit Thursday
Easter Seals Southern Georgia will be hosting “Sweet Charity: Desserts for a Cause” Thursday at Mathis Auditorium. The event will be from 7 to 9 p.m. and will include several local restaurants serving dessert as well as a silent auction.
-
Dollar General robbed at gunpoint
A customer and two employees were unharmed during a Sunday evening robbery as two masked men demanded cash from registers and the business’ safe as the Dollar General on Bemiss Road prepared to close at around 11:30 p.m., according to reports from the Valdosta Police Department.
-
Overpass work causes detours
All vehicles which are not making a delivery in the immediate vicinity of the new overpass will have to find alternate routes immediately.
-
Crossing guard keeping kids safe
Meet Merita Williams, crossing guard.
-
Juneteenth’s coming
Held in just as high a regard as the celebration of our country’s independence to many, the county’s annual Juneteenth dinner returns this Tuesday at 7 p.m. for its 21st year and will offer citizens of all races with a central point to celebrate human rights.
-
A soldier called preacher
In Vietnam, Wesley Harrell spread the Lord’s word among his fellow soldiers. He spoke of God often though few seemed to listen until they encountered war’s sudden death.
-
History on the move
In the right hands, a divided house can again mount a sound foundation and settle into a new era, as proved on Saturday when the 100 Black Men of Valdosta unveiled a transplanted house that’ll likely serve as their headquarters at its Martin Luther King Jr. Drive location.
- More Local News Headlines
-
