The pastor of a Chicago church is making a desperate plea for help this Christmas, as him and his congregation fear their annual toy drive, which is one of the largest in the city, could be in jeopardy.
For more than a decade, Another Chance Church has opened its doors to provide a joyful Christmas by distributing more than 23,000 toys to kids in the city and even in the suburbs.
“We woke up and there was nothing under the Christmas tree,” said pastor Kenyatta Smith. “I’ve made it my mission to make sure that no child should have to experience what I experienced as a child.”
But with two weeks away until Christmas, the senior pastor told NBC Chicago he’s worried that they might not be able to reach their goal for Operation Cover Chicago.
“We have not collected nearly a fraction of what we need,” he said. “We need at least 25,000 toys and we may have 60 bikes.”
Pastor Smith said normally by this time their church would already be filled with toys as seen in previous years, but as of Tuesday afternoon, the sanctuary is empty.
“It is very important for us to be able to give hope to the children through this toy drive especially for me, I was a recipient,” worship leader Christina Williams said. “About seven years ago, I did not have money to get toys or presents for my children and at that time I was homeless, and I was sleeping in my van with my children.”
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Williams now serves as a worship leader and said she knows exactly what parents are going through.
“I was crushed as a mom that I could not offer them anything, that’s like the worst thing to be able to feel that you can’t get them something for Christmas,” Williams said.
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The pastor said they have seen a drop in donations due to inflation and local businesses scaling back.
“Our main mission is that people don’t care what you know until they know that you care,” Smith said. “We want somebody to know that we care.”
Those interested in assisting the church with donations can find out more information here.
