No one who walks in the door for their appointment at the Toy Store has had an easy year. Single moms like Jennifer Hitt and Janae Jones work several jobs to meet the needs of their families. Sometimes making income stretch to cover food, clothing and bills is like balancing on a high wire.

The toy store was a life-saver for Southeast member Kristal Summers, 27. She had no idea how to provide Christmas for her five children, ages 18 months to 11 years old, before coming to the Toy Store.

It wasn’t at all what she expected.

Long rows of tables packed with the latest toys that fill shelves at area stores like Target and Wal Mart. Ride ‘ems, electronic toys, art supplies, My Little Pet Shop, Fisher Price, games, dolls, trucks and sports equipment covered tables arranged by age groups.

A volunteer helped her find just the right books, Tonka trucks, Barbies and games.

And when her cart was full with three toys for each child, she rested in the hospitality room and enjoyed a snack while volunteers wrapped her gifts in colorful paper and added bows.

Summers’ name is on each gift tag. Southeast is a silent partner in her Christmas.

“This is so amazing,” Summers said.

When her gifts were ready, a volunteer helped her load them in her trunk and added a big box crammed with food. She wasn’t expecting that, either.

Hitt found My Little Ponies for her 6-year-old and a pink fleece jacket for her 12-year-old, but the biggest find was a brand new Lite Brite. Her children played with the Lite Brite that Hitt had used as a child until it wouldn’t work anymore and had to be retired.

“I’m so excited about this,” she said. “This was here just for us. It’s perfect.” Hitt is a member of Southeast. She works several jobs to care for her family, but finds time to volunteer in Daybreak, a ministry to single moms.”This toy store helps a lot,” she said. “I feel guilty because I know people in worse shape.”

A blessing to volunteers

Volunteers might argue that the Toy Store is a bigger blessing to them than it is to the shoppers.

On Saturday, Sam White helped scores of families choose gifts for their children. “This is my chance to do something for someone else,” he said. “I met people like Andre, who lost his job through no fault of his own. He has an interview next week. I’ll be praying for him.”

Randy Cummins volunteered on Saturday. A few weeks ago, he buried his 20-year-old daughter, Blakely. “I’m better when I’m here,” he said.

Melanie Cox, who directs outreach at the Berrytown YMCA, brought several moms to the Toy Store. In that community, just three miles from Southeast, need is always front and center. “This means a lot to our families,” Cox said. When we don’t have Kids’ Café, we know many of our children don’t get a meal. They depend on us for food and school supplies.”

A bridge to relationships

Janae Jones’ three children have been in the Berrytown after-school outreach program for the last four years. It’s a lifesaver while Jones is at work. “This means so much,” she said. “I always feel like I struggle with three kids, but the things on these tables are exactly what they hoped for. We are so grateful to be part of this.”

Debbie Ward, who leads the Serve Ministry at Southeast, said the Toy Store was far more than just another giveaway.

“The Toy Store is all about relationships. We know our partners. They know each person they invite to come,” she said. “This year we doubled the number of families we served. The congregation made that happen. No agency or staff could have made that happen. The generosity of our members and the relationships we’ve developed with our partners made it happen.”

Libby came to the Toy Store with A Loving Choice, a pro-life center in Shelbyville. Her husband had recently abandoned her and their three children, 10, 5 and 1 year old. She pulled a thin sweater around her shoulders to ward off the wind. “This is such a blessing,” she said in Spanish. “Gracias.”

Sheila Day, who founded Mom’s closet, a ministry to single parents, brought 13 moms to the Toy Store and watched them shop for their families. “This is overwhelming,” Day said. “We are collaborating together to help women who are caught in this position.”

Denny Dillman, Urban Outreach Minister, overheard many conversations at the Toy Store. “The toys are amazing,” he said. “People at Southeast were so generous in a tough year. They bought the same toys for these children that they bought for their own, but it’s not really about the toys. It’s about the relationships volunteers forge. They are as excited as the parents. I’d often hear a collective oh or ah when they’d find the right gift.”

A lifesaver

The Toy Store was almost closed when Lisa Acree and Jessica Kingsbury made it to the church through heavy traffic. They were afraid they’d miss it. Both are staying at the Ronald McDonald House near Kosair Children’s Hospital in downtown Louisville.

Acree’s son, Stephen, is battling cancer. Kingsbury’s newborn son also is critical. The outreach was a lifesaver. Neither parent has left the hospital for weeks. Prayer that their children will be healed is at the top of their wish lists, but they came to shop for their other children. Though Christmas is way down on their daily survival list, they were excited to find some special gifts for their other children.

“This is amazing,” Acree said through tears. “I had no idea how to provide Christmas for my family. I wish I knew how to thank everybody who made this happen.”

By Ruth Schenk, The Southeast Outlook | rschenk@secc.org