MANSFIELD — Crossroads‘ Park Avenue Campus looked more like Santa’s workshop than a church this week.
A group of middle-school students stood at the doors, holding them open and greeting guests. Many students wore holiday sweaters, one walked around in a plush Christmas tree costume.
Gift bags covered the seats of the sanctuary and floors of multiple classrooms, each with a festive homemade gift tag.
Volunteers distributed cookies and coffee and sat to talk with guests. Others wheeled carts loaded with goodies for families in need.
After nearly 20 years of partnership, Crossroads and the Richland County Children’s Auxiliary have the Adopt-a-Child event down to a science.
The two organizations spearhead the program each year, providing clothes, toys and necessities to children of all ages across Richland County.
This year, more than 1,000 area children will have gifts under their tree thanks to the effort.
“Sometimes when we go to give them the gifts, they’ll be crying and it’s just amazing to see the reactions,” said Ella Them, an 8th grader at Ontario who volunteered during Tuesday’s drive.
“You touch a lot of people’s hearts doing this.”
Creating Christmas joy
The Richland County Children’s Auxiliary (RCCA) is often known by the name of its hallmark initiative — The New Store.
But the non-profit serves children in need throughout the year with school supply drives and the annual Adopt-a-Child program.
Executive Director Kelly Andress said she and Darlene Rudrick, Crossroads’ missions director, begin planning as early as January. Adopt a Child preparations kick into high gear in September, when the auxiliary begins reaching out to agencies across the county for referrals.
One source of referrals is the Mansfield City Schools S.A.F.E. program, which serves students and families experiencing homelessness.
This year, 50 children in the S.A.F.E. program will receive Christmas presents through Adopt-a-Child. An additional 40 youngsters will receive gifts through Barrister Title, Sami’s Toys-for-Kids and Maddox Memorial Church.
“It’s really a smooth operation. It’s really cool how they’re organized,” said S.A.F.E. coordinator Phil Mitchell, who also volunteered at Crossroads on Tuesday.
“Mansfield is a great town. We take care of our own in this town.”
Rudrick and Andress said the program serves families that often struggle to make ends meet. Many of them consist of grandparents or even great-grandparents raising their grandchildren.
“I had a young lady this morning. She’s only 25 and she’s raising raising her siblings,” Rudrick said.
Andress said the Adopt-a-Child program started 27 years ago. In its first year, the organization sponsored Christmas gifts for 50 kids.
By partnering with churches, businesses and families throughout the county, the RCCA has exponentially increased the operation.
“I think the need has grown and our capacity has certainly grown,” Andress said. “We couldn’t do the volume we do without the help of all the volunteers at Crossroads.”
Crossroads provides the space and many of the volunteers, but the parish also sponsors around 500 children.
Other local supporters include companies like OhioHealth, Gorman Rupp, Cleveland Cliffs, Freight Watch Logistics and Charter Next Generation.
Andres said large companies will often sponsor dozens of children, but smaller local businesses and individual families also contribute. The RCCA recommends spending between $125 and $150 per child.
“A lot of places, they’ll have a department in their office that shops together and so they might be able to stretch that a little farther,” she said.
Every child’s family completes a wishlist that includes their favorite color, hobbies and characters as well as their clothing and bedding sizes and toys they might want.
“Our donors really feel like they’re shopping for a child as if they know them,” Andress said.
“Our goal is that they get everything, both their wants and their needs, met. What child shouldn’t have that at Christmas?”
How to help
Community members can support The RCCA and The New Store by volunteering, donating online or mailing checks to The New Store, PO Box 2525, Mansfield, Ohio, 44906. Visit thenewstore.org for more information.
The S.A.F.E. program at Mansfield City Schools serves between 380 and 400 students and their families each year by providing personal care items, clothing, shoes, small toys, books and school supplies in partnership with The New Store and other community donors.
Monetary donations to the S.A.F.E. program can be dropped off or mailed to the Mansfield City Schools board of education at 856 W. Cook Road 44907. The S.A.F.E. program also accepts new donated items including:
- lotion
- chapstick
- socks for children age 7 and up
- small toys
- puzzles
- games
- shampoo
- conditioner
- deodorant
- blankets
- underwear (all sizes)
- menstrual products
- dish soap
- zip lock bags
- hair brushes and combs
- Clorox wipes
- paper plates, napkins, cups and cutlery (no styrofoam)