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MONROE Christmas is still eight weeks away, but already lines are longer than ever before at a local agency trying to help needy families have a happier holiday.
Volunteers at the Union County Christmas Bureau say they are being forced to turn people away because so many are looking for help.
People stood in the cold and the rain last Tuesday for hours, trying to get help.
Ieisha Collins came as quick as she could.
"I got a phone call that said, 'Girl, you got to get out here because the line is already adding up,'" she said.
She didn't expect to see the line extending down the sidewalk.
"Last year I did not wait this long," she said. "It was just come in and sit down."
Collins, an in-home nurse who says work is slow right now, is trying to bring Christmas to her two kids, 1 and 9 years old.
"I have to see their faces in the morning," Collins said.
She says she won't be able to without help from the Union County Christmas Bureau. And it seems many others are relying on the same help.
"Oh my gosh, it's ridiculous. I guess there's a strong need for people to get help," Collins said.
Volunteers started handing out numbers when they came to the bureau at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. The numbers ran out around lunchtime. They said it would take until 5 p.m. to get to everyone.
"I know why people are standing out there for two and three hours because we are hurting," Collins said. "A lot of people are hurting right now and need the help so they're willing to stand two, three hours for their kids. It's cold and I'm hungry and I'm thirsty, but when I'm done it'll be all right."
