On Christmas Eve, the majority of Pike County children will doze off, snug in their beds, with visions of sugar-plums (and electronics and toys) dancing in their heads.
But, others will wake Christmas morning with nothing under the tree; some won’t even have a tree.
Pike County Cares Toys for Tots and Coats for a Kid campaign organizer Larry Goings has spent the last 12 years working to ensure such children receive a gift from Santa Claus.
The campaign, entering its 13th year, seeks to provide each participating child with a toy and coat.
The gifts are provided through donations. The group has distributed toys and coats to more than 2,500 Pike County children
“When my wife Donna and I moved to Pike County, we saw a desperate need for those who are less fortunate,” Goings said. “There are stresses put on families. With the current economy, it was a ministry and outreach we wanted to begin.”
The toys and coats will be distributed at Pike National Bank on Rawls Drive from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Dec. 19. Santa Claus will be on hand.
Items can be dropped off in the bank’s community room through 4:30 p.m. Dec. 16. Contributors choose the gifts they wish to donate.
“We allow the person that’s donating that gift to choose what they feel is appropriate,” Goings said. “They may have the desire to purchase something for a 4-year-old girl. Then other people want to donate for children 1, 5, and 12 years old.
“We’re simply asking for those who wish to donate to wrap their gift and label it with the age and gender of each child.”
The campaign is geared to Pike County children between the ages of 1 and 12, and services about 200 a year.
“We’ve never had a child walk away from our event that didn’t walk away without a coat and toy,” Goings said. “I can tell you, in 13 years, it has gone seamless without a hitch because of people participating and supporting this event.”
There have been some scares along the way. Despite a good track record, Goings occasionally loses sleep meeting the need. He is encouraging donors to shop early and get their gifts in before the last second.
Sometimes, though, toys and coats aren’t enough.
“I’ve literally seen little children come through the line not asking for toy, but asking for a pair of shoes,” Goings said. “We have people complain they don’t have food.”
One woman and her children, Goings said, will require more than coats and toys. Her husband recently left her and her children, leaving them without food, utilities or a Christmas for the children.
“People who come to us are coming with real needs,” Goings said. “We will find a way to meet those needs.
“It’s a shame that it happens here in the United States of America. We send so much money overseas and we have needs, and we have needs right here in our back yard.”
