Miraculous Generosity at This Year’s Christmas Store
Story by Volunteer Writer, Kevin Cekanor
“The Christmas Store made sure that no family is forgotten,” says Luz Martinez, a friend of Building Hope in the City (BHITC) through its education enrichment program. “Everyone deserves to experience the joy of Christmas. The important thing is that we don’t stop here, but keep this joy going long into the future,” he adds.
At this year’s store earlier this month, parents from 126 families were greeted by the smell of holiday cookies, the sweet sound of carols echoing the halls and jolly individuals leading the way to a room full of the magic of the season. Tables upon tables were stacked with toys and gifts, and if you didn’t know the difference, you might think you walked into FAO Schwarz. This beautiful reality filled the halls of Scranton Road Bible Church for this year’s Christmas Store event, where nearly 4,000 gifts, valued at more than $68,000, were purchased affordably for 410 children.
Nearly a decade ago, with a team of supporters, donors, partners and volunteers, BHITC opened a new type of annual Christmas Store - one that offers low-income families a dignifying way to provide brand-new gifts at a fraction of retail prices for their children. Many years later, it’s still a true Christmas miracle for families in its education enrichment program, and all the more so this year with rising prices everywhere else.
Walking the halls and meeting the families and volunteers, the pillars of the Advent season were everywhere - the hope, peace, joy and love found in Christ. The hope of Jesus is evident in the answered prayers of families who believed they would not be able to provide a magical Christmas morning for their children, but thanks to the store, they are now able to see their children unwrap gifts with eyes and smiles wide.
“This experience to me is hopeful,” says Marilus, a mother of two children in BHITC’s enrichment program. “I say hopeful because you see people who do not know you willing to provide such a beautiful service to you. It’s easy to go through the days and forget about hope. You feel hopeless at times but then you step into a place like this and hope stares you right in the face. There is hope in the goodness of humanity, and this is the same type of hope that I will instill into my kids as I leave this place.”
The peace of Jesus is found in gifts eloquently arranged by age groups, certain to bring peace of mind to those once concerned about the unknown and in volunteers eager to help families shop and wrap their gifts.
The joy of Jesus is evident in the smiles of everyone at this year’s Christmas Store who followed small acts of faith - to donate to the store, to volunteer and ultimately the families who took the step to participate.
Finally, the love of Jesus was in every detail, small and large, demonstrating the loving hearts and hands behind the event’s planning. “The Christmas Store is exactly what it means to be ‘The Church,’” says Angel, a volunteer at the event. “The Church of Jesus is not four walls - it lives inside all of us, and we should be a visual representation of the agape type of love that Jesus shows us. Gatherings like this bring us one step closer to that love,” she says.
Join us in praying for the families who shopped at this year’s store, for newfound passions and interests among children sparked by gifts, for deep awareness of how much they are loved and to pass along this Christ-like love for generations. This is why giving is truly miraculous. Thank you for sharing your generous heart in a big way this Christmas!