Listen to this article
Child Spree benefits Yolo County Salvation Army.
by HEATHER BROOKS –
A youngster selects clothing during the recent Child Spree. |
Waking up Saturday morning was a little rough—I knew it was going to be a cold one. Outside it was dark and rainy, but when I arrived at the Mervyn’s in Woodland (Calif.), the smiles from the kid’s faces shone like rays of sunlight.
It was the day of the Mervyn’s child spree and 25 disadvantaged children from the Woodland and Davis area were about to go on a shopping spree! Each child received a $100 gift card, and volunteers helped them choose clothes and shoes.
Helen Kilcoyne, in-charge of The Salvation Army outpost in Woodland, explained that most of the volunteers came from area churches. Two of the volunteers, though, drove about two hours to help with Child Spree.
Although the store was quiet, as I neared the young boys’ section I began to hear whispers and a bit of giggling as the boys searched through racks of clothing. When I asked one of the boys what he thought about getting up so early to come here, Kaymin (age 8) said, “I enjoy going to school and I am very happy to be here to buy new clothes; this makes me feel good.” Kaymin also wanted to pick out something for his younger brother, and was pleased to discover that he could spend another $15 on something other than clothes; he smiled as he picked up a little car and put it in his basket. “That is for my brother,” he proudly announced.
After a busy morning, the kids and volunteers had worked up an appetite. Not a problem! The SONIC in Woodland provided breakfast for the children, volunteers and even the Mervyn’s staff. Brian Norris, manager of the Woodland location, stated that he was “just glad he could help in some way.” As I watched the kids, they all had huge smiles on their faces. As parents came to pick them up, the kids couldn’t wait to spill the contents of their bags to show their folks what they had bought—this made all of us warm inside despite the cold rain.
The Salvation Army would like to thank Mervyn’s, SONIC, and all their staff for helping us in “Doing the Most Good” for some local families this Christmas season.