Delivering Christmas Blessings
Donors help bring joy to thousands of ECS clients

St. Paul's Urban Collective sorts thousands of gifts to be wrappedSeemingly overnight, ECS’ City Heights office was filled to the brim with brand-new toys, clothing and household items. Blankets, stacked from floor to ceiling, covered an entire wall. In another room, toys for children of all ages spilled out of boxes and bags. Clothing and shoes were divided into children’s and adult’s sections. Down the hall from ECS’ main suite, Price Charities offered the use of an unoccupied space, later coined “the Christmas Room,” to store gifts from donors who sponsored client holiday lists.

For many years, ECS has helped clients celebrate the joys of Christmas by delivering gifts during the holiday season. Months beforehand, clients submit wish lists to program staff, indicating their clothing size, favorite color and hobbies. The completed profiles are then made available to donors wishing to sponsor a client during the holidays. For some donors, such as Bonnie Sumner, shopping for an ECS client has become an annual tradition. “Each year, I add a resident’s wish list to my own shopping list. My holiday is more meaningful knowing that I’ve brought joy to someone’s Christmas.” says Bonnie. “I hope to continue the tradition for many years to come.”

Denise Orlando wrapping client giftsWhile some donors enjoy sponsoring specific individuals or families, others prefer purchasing items in a general sense. The Episcopal Cursillo, for example, collected new socks, toiletries and clothing at their annual Christmas party. The items were added to gift bags distributed to residents of Downtown and Uptown Safe Havens. An anonymous donor delivered a bag full of brand-new clothing, informing staff that she buys items on sale throughout the year, and delivers her stash to ECS a few weeks before Christmas.

Volunteer groups generously donate their time during the holidays. The Urban Collective, the Diocese’s young adult group, sorted through thousands of gifts and afterwards “shopped” for items based on assigned client wish lists. The next day, individual volunteers were matched with program staff to wrap and label the sorted gifts.

Gifts were distributed to over 2,200 individuals and 50 families. An additional 50 families were provided with holiday groceries and gift cards through Emergency Assistance.

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