Many hands help families this holiday at Kingdom Grace Fellowship
December 22, 2020
Kris Kringle paid a special visit to Mansfield on Monday for the giveaway.
Mansfield News Journal
MANSFIELD - Santa had plenty of help handing out new toys and bags of groceries to families at the annual Christmas giveaway at Kingdom Grace Fellowship Church Monday afternoon.
Forty-five families and 75 children were the recipients, referred through Richland County 211 at the 105 Reba Ave. church.
Santa talked to kids in the vehicles, which pulled up outside the church, handing out necklaces that lit up, candy canes and more.
Ashley Evans brought her children Dennis Sawman, 4, and Ella Sawman, 3, who were thrilled with turning their Christmas necklaces on and off in the back seat.
"This is really going to help us," said Evans, as Santa and the children talked about presents as colored bags of new gifts for the kids were secretly being loaded inside the front passenger window.
Donations from several community agencies and groups helped make for a good Christmas for families.
Mansfield firefighters delivered a truckload of food, including ground beef and plenty of canned goods, having received a donation from the International Association of Firefighters Local 266 and additional donations from various firefighters who wanted to help too.
The firefighters stayed for the event to hand out the groceries from the back of a U-Haul truck parked outside the church.
Families received a turkey or a ham or a chicken, plenty of groceries and presents for each of their children.
Two sisters came to the food giveaway with their aunt just to visit with Santa, having seen him from their house on Reba Avenue.
Emma Griffith, 8, who is a third grader at Prospect Elementary School, and her little sister Kylie Marie, 3, both said they have been good kids.
"I want Slime," Kyle said. "That's all."
“This year Children’s Cupboard Outreach and its partners chose to continue the annual giveaway with some new changes because of the pandemic,” said Children’s Cupboard Outreach founder Pam Jones.
Dan Varn, executive director of United Way of Richland County, said a United Way donor said they wanted their $500 donation to go to Christmas presents.
Hosts for the event were: Children's Cupboard Outreach in partnership with Kingdom Grace Fellowship Church Overseer Pastor Renea Collins, Universal Refrigeration, Shenandoah Ministries, City of Mansfield Safety-Service Director Lori Cope, Mansfield Police/Fire Department., Richland County Children Services (RCCS), We ACT, Faith Temple and Restored Visions.
Volunteers including Mansfield firefighters worked together to hand out items for the families.
Other groups participating included May of Chapter#62, order of the Eastern Star and Prince Hall Pride of Ohio Masonic Lodge# 80 and United Way of Richland County.
"This is just one more example of community partners coming together building relationships and meeting the needs in our community," said Brigitte Coles, Richland County Children Services community engagement specialist.
Sgt. John Ahles of the Mansfield Police Department assisted with traffic as families pulled up outside the church. Safety-Service Director Lori Cope also came to help out as drizzling rain began to fall.
For some kids who came, talking to Santa was the highlight of the visit.
"Bye San-taaaaa," one young girl called out as the vehicle was pulling away.
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