We had to do our beloved “Share Your Christmas” program a little differently in 2020. Many donors love the tradition of picking a tag from our Share Your Christmas tree and buying gifts for families in our community who need help at this time of year. However we created a web page so all who wanted to participate could contribute to gift cards for our “St. Luke’s Families” and veterans in the Maple Court Community. We were amazed at the response!
We shattered our giving goal, thanks to you! “St. Luke’s Families” donations totaled more than $7,400, almost 250% of our goal! As a result, St. Luke’s provided substantial help to 11 families (two more than we had hoped). In addition, all 24 Maple Court veterans received gift cards, and we were able to donate $500 to the Maple Court Food Pantry fund.
All the “St. Luke’s Families” were extremely grateful for their gift cards. Here are two stories that stand out:
—When she found out that she could be a part of the St. Luke’s Share Your Christmas program this year, one woman simply burst into tears on the telephone. She said she had no money and no way to handle her expenses. She said God sent us in answer to her prayers.
—A single father of four called to say he was thrilled to receive his SYC gift cards. He and his children sometimes go window shopping: “We can never afford to buy anything, but it’s fun for the kids just to go look.” This year, he took his family window shopping to WalMart on the Saturday before Christmas. Every so often, he would see one of his children’s eyes light up as they looked at a particular item, and he would tap something into his phone. “The kids thought I was texting someone,” he said, “but I was recording what they really liked.” After the group returned home, the father returned to the store and purchased favorite presents for everyone. “This is the first Christmas my kids will actually get the things they want the most,” he said. “It’s going to be a big surprise! I was also able to get all our favorite food for a great Christmas dinner! Please thank everyone at St. Luke’s for being so generous.”
Thanks to everyone who helped make this Christmas special for our neighbors in need. To learn more about Share Your Christmas and the support we provide to the Maple Court veterans community, please visit our Outreach Ministries page.
stlukesdurham.org 