Mother of three grateful for Empty Stocking Fund

No one knows better than Lindsay Schavoni how hard Christmas can be.

Schavoni and her roommate both are mothers of three living with their children in a three-bedroom trailer.

“We receive no help from the fathers (of our children),” she said. “We barely can afford to buy our groceries.”

Christmas gifts for their children would be completely out of the picture if it weren’t for the Empty Stocking Fund.

For Schavoni, her roommate and their children, it’s a blessing.

“If it wasn’t for them, my kids wouldn’t have Christmas presents,” she said.

The Empty Stocking Fund has been providing relief to needy people for 27 years. It is a joint effort between the Salvation Army and the Morning News to bring Christmas to impoverished and low-income families in six Pee Dee counties.

People who would like to help families struggling through the holidays can donate to the Empty Stocking Fund in several ways:

• By calling the Salvation Army at (843) 662-4461.
• By dropping off toys or monetary donations to the Salvation Army office building at 2210 Hoffmeyer Road in Florence.
• By giving monetary donations at any Florence BB&T bank branch: 605 S. Irby St., 1831 W. Evans St., and 407 W. Second Loop Road. Checks should be made payable to the Empty Stocking Fund, c/o Salvation Army. Other ways to help the Salvation Army make Christmas brighter for those in need include:
• Donating at a Salvation Army Christmas kettle.
• Adopting a family by dropping off gifts at the Salvation Army by today between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
• Donating new, unwrapped toys for children through age 12, which will be distributed from the Salvation Army’s toy shop Dec. 23.

The Empty Stocking Fund not only accepts monetary and gift donations, but also food and clothing.