In the morning, families picked out two gifts for each child, plus stocking-stuffers at Journey Church, with more than 600 children enrolled for the event. Parents, without the children present, chose toys.
In the afternoon, at West Chester Presbyterian Church, the same families received boxes of food for hearty holiday feasts, featuring turkey or chicken, other traditional items the families requested, plus surprise extras.
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Parishioners from St. John the Evangelist Church in West Chester Twp.and St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church in Liberty Twp. spent the morning dropping off meals for the families at the Presbyterian Church while parents at Journey Church chose gifts for their children.
The event, which began in 1992, has grown through the years.
“The people we serve are mostly hourly workers that if their child gets sick, or the men have outdoor jobs, and when it gets cold, they have less hours,” Ward said. “So that means smaller paychecks to pay their bills with, and we try to give them a hand up to make ends meet.”
“These are people who are trying their hardest to feed their families,” Ward said. “They’re just like the rest of us. They just need a little bit extra to keep them going. They’re our neighbors, just like our mission says. They’re very grateful.”
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“I love it,” said Jessica Neanover of Liberty Twp., a single mother of three. “This is my second year coming. It’s great getting help with gifts you couldn’t afford.”
Ward, who has served Reach Out Lakota for 24 years, soon will retire. She wore a smile and cheery reindeer antlers, but said she had cried during the day, because many volunteers and recipients are like family.
Meanwhile, over at West Chester Presbyterian, Peyton Gravely, who will be Ward’s successor, was among a group of volunteers during the morning unloading boxes of food for the families that would arrive in the afternoon, several boxes individually packed for specific families.
Reach Out Lakota is non-denominational, and is not faith-based, although churches give lots of help.
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“We tell people that if the man upstairs didn’t want us here, he wouldn’t have us,” Ward said, “because we’re entirely community-supported. We’re not a United Way or Shared Harvest agency.”
“Our families are very grateful and it doesn’t take much to give a child a merry Christmas,” Ward said. “People think it’s about the Barbie Dream House, and it’s just a matter of giving someone something just out of the kindness of your heart, and the fact that our community does this on such a big scale is just a testament to West Chester and Liberty.”
While church members provide meals, the community at large donates toys, either by purchasing specific items or giving money for others to do the buying.
“It’s neat to watch come together,” Gravely said. “The toys take months to come together, and to see the food come together all in one day — obviously, there’s a lot that’s done behind the scenes, but you get all your stuff dropped off in one day, and distributed in one day.”
Gravely thought it was especially nice that four churches — two Catholic, one Presbyterian and Journey — all were involved in the day: “Obviously, the Christmas holiday is a very spiritual holiday, so to see that opportunity to work together and come together is very interesting.”
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