‘The love ... is overwhelming.’ Huge toy donations bring Christmas to battered W. Ky.
About two days after the Dec. 10 tornadoes, Natalie Winn started thinking about Christmas.
A teacher, youth minister and mom, she realized that Santa was going to need a lot more help this year getting a traumatized and partly homeless population through what, in just a few minutes, had become the least wonderful time of the year. Amidst Mayfield’s shattered downtown, her church, His House Ministries, had already become a repository for donations of bins and waters, and pretty soon, toys. Lots of them.
“Our goal was a good Christmas,” she said. But then as toys and games and bikes started pouring in, the goal changed. “We wanted to make sure they had the best Christmas they ever had.”
The Graves County Middle School gym became the storage center, and with the help of another His House member, Nate Strickland and the family resource center coordinators, they were able to narrow down every family in Graves County directly impacted by the tornadoes — about 375 families, around 1,000 kids.
Winn, who admits she’s a born organizer, set up times for each family — 15 every 30 minutes — and assigned them a volunteer to help go down the list of what they could pick. The volunteers were needed because the list was long, not to mention tables and tables piled high with toys, stuffed animals, makeup, scarves, electronics.
“It’s overwhelming,” said Beverly Kaler, who was picking out presents for her 10-year-old daughter, Laken Reilly.
Without one call for help, Mayfield received so many presents that each child got:
- Several big presents from the tables in the cafeteria;
- A stocking, packed with age and gender appropriate goodies;
- A fuzzy blanket or throw;
- Three books and three art supplies;
- Something sporty like a basketball or soccer ball,
- A bike, scooter or skateboard with helmet included.
And as parents checked out, they received three gift cards to restaurants and a VISA gift card. They could also take their choices down to the wrapping center, where another raft of volunteers waited with paper and tape.
Many parents looked shell-shocked by their trauma and others’ generosity. There were many hugs and many tears and many, many volunteers.
“We’re here because we’re privileged, our houses didn’t get hit,” said Addison Orr, a high school student in Mayfield who was helping out.
Sister Maria Francine and her actual sister, Sister Anita Marie, both teach at Notre Dame Academy in Covington. Their vacation started Monday, so they drove to Mayfield so that Sister Maria Francine, who teaches Spanish, could help Hispanic families.
“This is the best way to start the holidays,” Sister Anita Marie said. “It’s just a wonderful thing.”
Winn said that the Graves Middle toy drive was totally separate from First Lady Britainy Beshear’s drive, which mostly went to help families housed at various state parks. She was contacted about two tractor trailers full of gifts, then 10 more showed up. There are so many gifts that Winn said they will keep handing them out into the New Year.
“Yes, there’s a lot of devastation and darkness right now,” Winn said, blinking back tears. “but the love that people from all the world have shown us is overwhelming.”
‘This feels good’
At Kenlake Resort Park on Tuesday, more toys were laid out on tables, and this time, the children got to pick for themselves. One company donated a few hundred stuffed baby seals, so every child got one, and some were already clutched tight to chests.
Laken Wallace, 10, had big eyes as she looked over a table of Barbies. “This feels good,” she said.
Her grandmother, Dawn Griffith, couldn’t stop wiping away tears, as she followed her other three grandchildren, aged 6-10, around the room. She has custody of the four Wallace children, and after losing her home in Mayfield, the family is centered at Kenlake.
When Gov. Andy Beshear arrived, her tears flowed again.
“Our governor has been so good,” she said. “He’s done so much for everyone.”
Beshear, it soon became clear, needed this day as much as any of the kids. He helped kids pick out presents, talked to them about their choices, and hugged parents, including Griffith. He was headed to Kentucky Dam Village later in the day. On Thursday, Christmas will arrive at Pennyrile and Lake Barkley state parks.
“After the worst of the worst happened nine days ago, this happened,” he said. “Today is Christmas at state parks, trying to bring a little joy to kids who have been through so much.”
Parks Commissioner Russ Meyer said there are between 150 and 200 people at each of the state parks in the area, which puts them more or less at capacity. Parks staff had to call hundreds of people to cancel reservations. “People were happy to do so,” Meyer said.
The parks staff will work through Christmas to provide meals to everyone there, and they have also been willing, he said. Eight employees at Pennyrile lost everything when the storms hit Dawson Springs, so the help is personal.
“Our staff has stepped up,” Meyer said. “What they’ve done is just amazing.”
Daily shuttles take people back and forth to Mayfield to talk to FEMA and other officials about next steps. Hopefully, FEMA will pick up many of the costs of sheltering the survivors, and once the initial adrenaline and Christmas are over, the hard work will begin. Toby Benjamin evacuated from Mayfield, and is waiting to see if some family property in Water Valley can be repaired in time. Benjamin is a veteran and has some VA benefits, but has no car.
Benjamin praised the response so far. “With all that’s going on, they’re moving a lot quicker than normal.”
But for today, it was Christmas. Beshear estimated that the state had received literally hundreds of thousands of toys.
“We’ll be delivering to kids on their birthdays,” he said. “The world is pretty good.”
This story was originally published December 22, 2021 at 11:31 AM.
