Christmas Center fills last of Santa’s list for 11,360

Sonya Thomas was among the last in line Tuesday on the final day of the Salvation Army’s Christmas program. And she cried while talking about the lost job and failed dreams of being a clothing designer that led her to seek help this year.

Her three teenage children know there’s not enough money for exchanging gifts this Christmas, she says, but the youngest, 5-year-old Kawanis, believes Santa is showing up with robots and dinosaurs.

The Salvation Army is the only chance she’s got of making that happen, Thomas said.

“I believe in the magic of Christmas, and my child will believe in it as long as I’m able to keep someone from telling him otherwise,” said Thomas, who is also caring for her ailing mother.

“If there’s one thing my family is in need of through these hard times, it’s hope. And Santa is all about hope. I don’t care what you say, Santa is real. That’s what I tell all my children, even the old ones that stopped believing.”

Tuesday marked the last of four days set aside this month by the Salvation Army to distribute tens of thousands of toys donated this year for children in the program.

Surveys done by the Salvation Army showed the average child among the 11,360 registered this year was a 7-year-old girl. At least 800 of the children were only 1 year old.

Charlotteans donated most of the gifts by “adopting” children’s names off Angel Trees. When those toys ran out, the Salvation Army used money donated by Observer readers to the Empty Stocking Fund. This year, the Empty Stocking Fund helped provide toys for about 3,800 children.

Such children also got help from the Spokes Group, which provided more than 1,600 free bikes.

Anne Bostancic, manager at the Christmas Center, said the program saw a jump in toy donations this year, including more expensive items. “I think this is because of the improved economy,” she said. “People are doing better and they want to share that success with the community.”

Along with the children, some parents had their wishes come true, too, which they credited to the Salvation Army’s first time offer to take prayer requests.

Among them was wife and mother Christina Marks, who was in bad need of work after she lost her job in August. It was the family’s chief source of income, and the timing just prior to the holidays made it impossible for her to buy gifts for her four children.

However, she was hired this week as a cook at the Hub Bar and Grill restaurant at the Holiday Inn Charlotte Airport.

General manager Ann Sutton says she read of Marks’ need for work in the Observer and noted she was interested in attending culinary school.

“It resonated with me that she had a passion for cooking,” said Sutton. “We were hiring a full-time cook at that point, and I felt she was meant to be given an opportunity. We called her in for an interview and liked how genuine she was.”

In two cases, families that could not afford Christmas trees were given them by Observer readers, with all the ornaments and trimmings included.

Elizabeth McNiel said she had several prayers answered after the Observer ran a story noting she didn’t have enough beds for all the children in her home. She is raising two teenage sons and three grandchildren. The two teens are sleeping in the garage, she said.

McNiel says people not only offered toys for the grandchildren, who are ages 2, 3 and 7, but they brought furniture enough for all of the kids to have beds and dressers. One Charlotte woman even covered the cost to rent a truck to have the furniture moved.

“We even got two heaters,” said McNiel. “I would like to tell all the people who helped us that you have made my Christmas blessed, and I don’t think you can understand the world of difference that you have made to us. We literally have everything we needed.”

This story was originally published December 22, 2015 at 6:08 PM with the headline "Christmas Center fills last of Santa’s list for 11,360."