3rd Annual Living Nativity – Page 3
December 2011
The whole family goes to the store and while the children make crafts, adults pick out gifts for them, wrap them and collect a holiday meal box. Everyone hears the Gospel.
The Christmas Store, while still
a well-oiled machine, may seem diff erent this year.
“There are changes,” said Sue Ramirez, member of the Christmas Store facilitation team. “They may not be easy changes, but the need is so great.”
Ramirez is referring to the addition of a fourth Christmas Store location at Belk Farms in Thermal. The group recognized the vast need in the east end of the valley, she said.
CHRISTMAS STORE RETURNS TO THE VALLEY ANNUAL HOLIDAY OUTREACH FOR FAMILIES NEEDING ASSISTANCE
BY AMELIA HADLEY For most of us, the Christmas holiday comes into focus as November ends and December begins. We put away our fall décor – if we had any out in the fi rst place – and courageously tackle the wadded-up ball of lights we deftly shoved into a box a year ago. For volunteers at the Coachella Valley Christmas Store, planning began months ago and the holiday has been approaching at breakneck speed. The Coachella Valley Christmas Store, now in its eighth year, is a place parents and guardians in need can go to shop for free Christmas gifts for their children.
By adding the Belk Farms location, families who normally take the bus to the store’s main location at Las Palmas Community Church in Indio can now be served closer to home, said Ramirez.
The addition doesn’t come without a few challenges.
“This is sort of a pilot,” said Ramirez. “We can’t handle the Thermal store the way we do the others.”
The east valley store will be in an open-air structure for two days only. The ministry plans to reach 250 families at the new location. As of mid-November, 100 Thermal families were already registered.
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