Bringing Christmas Joy

In addition to bringing Christmas joy to the impoverished people of Haiti this holiday season, Hope Force International is stepping up to serve America's poor and needy as well. This Christmas season HFI will partner with Gateway Community Church in Virginia to show the spirit of giving to the forgotten poor of War, West Virginia. A Christmas banquet is planned and will include presents, goody bags, food boxes and a visit from Santa Claus for the city's children and senior citizens living in poverty.

War is located in McDowell County, where the unemployment rate is over 12 percent. And this city is not the exception -- West Virginia's median household income is more than $12,000 below the national average, and nearly 18 percent of the state's population lives under the poverty line. With so much need in this region, Hope Force has deployed numerous teams of Reservists over the past several years with the mission of improving living conditions in West Virginia?s poorest county.

In the past, Hope Force has partnered with organizations in McDowell County to serve the poor during the holidays. To help the needy this Christmas season, Hope Force is working with Gateway Community Church, located in South Riding, Virginia, to support Big Creek People in Action (BCPIA) in their annual Christmas party benefitting low-income families and senior citizens.

BCPIA is a local non-profit working to improve the quality of life for McDowell County residents by promoting education, improving living conditions and encouraging self-sufficiency. Their Christmas event, to be held December 9, involves a feast and presents for low-income children and senior citizens in the area. BCPIA usually serves up to 300 children and 50 seniors through this Christmas extravaganza.

Prior to the event, BCPIA contacts the families in their system to determine what gifts each child wants for Christmas. The presents are wrapped beforehand so that the children can be surprised on Christmas day. Each child receives at least two gifts, valued around $25 altogether. At the event, they are given the opportunity to sit on Santa's lap and then receive a goody bag with items such as candy, granola bars and raisins. Later, the children can choose from a variety of small presents to give to their parents for Christmas. Senior citizens participating in the event also get gift bags, with items such as blankets, clocks, gloves and hygiene items.

To promote this program, Gateway has committed to provide presents for at least 125 children and elderly people. "There are a number of Hope Force Reservists in the church, some of whom have been deployed previously," HFI President/CEO Jack Minton said. "The church caught the vision for West Virginia early on and has sent several teams, with plans to continue their involvement in the future. The church asked if we were planning any special Christmas initiatives. They chose to support the program in McDowell County because they wanted something stateside that would provide hands-on involvement for the whole church."

This service opportunity supports Gateway's sermon series for November, which highlights the importance of giving to others, especially during the holiday season. The church plans to compile the presents for their "adopted" individuals, load the gifts onto a trailer and drive to West Virginia to participate in the Christmas party.

Because BCPIA does not have the space to accommodate everyone at once, the Christmas party is broken up into three rounds. The earlier party is reserved for the elderly, while the latter two cater to families who have to work around their children's school schedules. Including volunteers and all family members who attend the party, around 450 people are fed at BCPIA's feast. The organization strives to create a memorable experience by decorating the facility, reading the Christmas story to those present and serving food to guests at their tables. In addition to the presents and gift bags, each family also receives a box containing basic household items and food supplies such as a ham or turkey, instant mashed potatoes, stuffing and canned food.

"There are three churches from South Carolina that have helped us with our party for the past several years, but due to the economy in that area, they aren?t going to be able to serve as many children as before," said Dyanne Spriggs of BCPIA. "We are so excited and feel very blessed to hear that [Hope Force and its partners] want to help us with our Christmas party this year."

Thank you for your prayers and support that make our work amongst America?s forgotten poor possible!