A unique partnership between 10 local nonprofit organizations offers quality and affordable Christmas shopping for low-income families in the greater Melbourne area, and diocesan churches and schools add their gifts to this ministry’s Christmas joy. Gifts From the Heart Christmas Shop is now in its sixth year.
Here, parents and guardians of children served by Neighbor Up Brevard’s Dorcas Outreach Center for Kids program, Club Esteem, Love INC, Family Promise of Brevard, Community of Hope, Eckerd Connects, New Life Mission, Habitat for Humanity of Brevard, Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida-Cocoa Branch and Women’s Center of Brevard have the opportunity to purchase Christmas gifts at a significantly reduced cost.
“Each organization serves families who live on the economic margins of our community,” said GFTHCS Director and Co-Chair, The Rev. Joy Willard-Williford, who is also a retired priest in The Episcopal Church. “It is wonderful to offer parents of extremely modest means the opportunity to shop, make decisions about toys for their children and then be able to pay for them.”
The generous support of local businesses, schools and churches stock the GFTHCS with enough toys to provide at least three new gifts each to the over 750 children served by the 10 nonprofits. “I think folks like the whole ‘hand up, not a handout’ concept,” Willard-Williford said.
Lynn Brockwell-Carey, executive director of Neighbor Up Brevard, had seen a similar social enterprise in Atlanta. In 2016, Neighbor Up Brevard brought together Club Esteem and Love INC to create the first GFTHCS. Willard-Williford was assigned to lead the process and has been co-chair with Joan Sorensen from the beginning.
As a way to collect the gifts, parishes, businesses and schools set up and decorate “giving trees,” Christmas trees decorated with tags from CFTHCS. Each tag lets the giver know the desired gift and whether the recipient is a boy or girl. The giver has the option to buy a gift and leave it under the giving tree to be picked up later or shop online at one of the three GFTHCS gift registries for delivery to the shop.
No item in the store, regardless of value, costs parents more than $18. The organizations provide parents with one GFTHCS coupon per child, which acts as a shop ticket. They also limit the toys to three per child.
“The committee made the pricing decision early on,” Willard-Williford explained. “It is quite remarkable to see the number of toys a parent can purchase with less than $25.”
Those who have no income have the opportunity to earn “shop dollars” by volunteering at one or more of the organizations, with one hour of volunteering yielding a credit of $10.
The shop opened for four days in early December. On the first day, some of the customers were in line by 5:15 a.m.
This year, GFTHCS opened a second shop in Rockledge because many parents struggle with transportation, and those in the Central and North Brevard communities had a difficult time getting to the Melbourne shop.
Sorensen Moving & Storage has been with GFTHCS since day 1, providing valuable storage space for the decorations between years and serving as the receiving dock.
Byrd’s Western Store has also been with GFTHCS since the beginning, delivering toys.
Embraer Executive Jet division employees assembled bikes at the Melbourne shop, while Roswell Marine employees assembled bikes in the Rockledge shop.
Donors provide customer assistance in the shop and complimentary gift wrapping. Students, staff and faculty of St. Mark’s Episcopal Academy and the Holy Trinity Academy Upper School Tri-M, who hold wrapping supplies drives every year, provide the gift wrap supplies.
Diocesan parishes Holy Trinity, Melbourne; Christ Episcopal, Suntree-Viera; Blessed Redeemer, Palm Bay; St. Mark’s, Cocoa; St. John’s, Melbourne, and the faculty and staff of Holy Trinity Academy’s Lower School purchased gifts for GFTHCS online at the gift registries at Target, Amazon and Walmart. Students from Holy Trinity Student Ministries hole-punched and tied decorative ribbon hangers to 800 paper tag ornaments for the giving trees.
Parents redeemed 599 GFTHCS coupons this year, and 2,010 toys were donated. “We have a very generous community. It is always amazing to see the provision,” said Willard-Williford. “God is truly at work.”
For more about Gifts From The Heart, please visit giftsfromtheheartshop.org.