It’s a tradition at The Cabbage Patch to make sure that each child has a merry Christmas, especially if their family needs a little help providing the holiday cheer. In 2019, The Patch was able to help 69 families (247 individuals) with Christmas assistance. The project is made possible due to the kindness and generosity of over 20 different Christmas sponsors (churches, businesses, Sunday School classes, Board members, families). Over 500 volunteers donated their time to help.
Marianne Humphries and Patch Parent Sivonda
One of the people who helped was Marianne Humphries, a long-time member of Harvey Browne Memorial Presbyterian Church. Each year in November, Harvey Browne sponsors a Christmas shopping trip at Burlington Coat Factory for 20 Cabbage Patch families. Marianne was actively involved at Harvey Browne (and in the community) and has been helping out with their Christmas shopping trip since at least 2006. After the holidays, we found out that Marianne died a few days before Christmas after a short battle with leukemia. Marianne’s obituary stated that “…though her passing was abrupt, it meant that her whole life, right up to the end of her time on Earth, was dedicated to giving, teaching, and serving.” We have been blessed to have so many volunteers who believe in the importance of serving others, and we have seen firsthand how this gift of service makes a difference in the lives of Cabbage Patch families.
In looking at old shopping trip photos, we found a picture from a 2006 Harvey Browne shopping trip of Marianne and a Cabbage Patch parent, Feona. 2019 was an amazing year for Feona and her daughter as she was able to purchase her own home. The Cabbage Patch played a role in this accomplishment as we provided Christmas assistance and other types of financial assistance to Feona for a number of years until she told us that she didn’t really need the assistance anymore. Feona took the assistance that we provided and really maximized its impact in order to become self-sufficient. We want to thank Marianne and the over 500 other volunteers who helped out this year. You never know how a small act of service today can have a huge impact on someone’s future.