“Y’all are Santa Claus for my kids!” said Maya*, one of the families who benefited from this year’s Christmas Partner Program.
The program helps Cabbage Patch parents get Christmas gifts for everyone in their family by partnering with churches, businesses, other organizations and individuals. The Cabbage Patch Family Development staff works to pair families with sponsors beginning just after the start of the school year. Cabbage Patch families share gift ideas for their children, and the sponsors will purchase, wrap and drop off the gifts just in time for Christmas.
This year, The Cabbage Patch helped 246 individuals (67 Patch families with 72 adults and 174 children) through the Christmas Partner Program.
Maya has been a part of the program for three years. She enrolled her children at The Cabbage Patch when she lived nearby. Now, she and her family have moved to another part of town that’s much further away, but she keeps her kids involved because it’s a safe place.
“This is such a phenomenal place for my kids, and I know I can send them here carefree,” she said. “The Patch is so well-rounded; I wish there was something like this in my neighborhood.”
This year, thanks to the generous donations to the program, over 20 families received Walmart gift cards that can be used to purchase gifts. Maya said she will use the gift cards for her teenagers, who are harder to shop for sometimes. She is grateful that The Cabbage Patch helps give gifts to children up to age 18, which other gift programs do not offer.
“Oh, it has been amazing, especially since relocating back here and starting almost from nothing,” shared Ashley*, another mother who took part in the Christmas Partner Program this year.
Ashley has been moving around some for work. She has three boys, two of whom have faced some serious health challenges in the last few years. Ashley says right now, things are pretty stable for her family, but the Christmas Partner Program is still a critical source of help. “It’s been life changing. We really count on The Cabbage Patch for what they do for us.”
For others, Christmas might not be possible without the program. When Vivian* came to pick up gift cards for her family, she started to cry as she was overwhelmed by the help she received. “I don’t have anything for Christmas in my house right now. I don’t even have a tree,” she shared. “This will really help us.”
The Christmas Partner Program helps ensure everyone, no matter their life circumstances, gets to celebrate a special Christmas with their loved ones. But it’s also about much more than Christmas. As the staff can attest to, rather than letting children go without, our families will often take money that would go toward other expenses to buy presents. Sponsoring gifts for Christmas may seem like a small thing, but for some families, it can mean saving money that can then go to rent, to putting food on the table or paying utility bills.
“Tell the sponsors thank you from the bottom of my heart! I am forever thankful,” Maya exclaimed as she picked up her gifts. We are so grateful for this year’s sponsors: Harvey Browne Presbyterian Church, Second Presbyterian Church, St. Francis in the Fields Episcopal Church, Clark Shaefer Consulting, First Financial Bank, Monroe Shine & Company, Munson Business Interiors, nine individual sponsors and more.
*Names changed to protect the privacy of those we serve.