This is the eighth year Peacemakers will help low-income families provide Christmas gifts for their children at its Christmas Toy Store. Peacemakers has collected donations of new toys that will be sold for 80% off retail value for families to shop for the best gifts for their children.

Local churches, organizations, and individuals helped supply these gifts. Thirty-eight decorated boxes were placed throughout the area over the last month and picked up earlier this week so that the items could be priced and marked down for the Peacemakers Christmas Toy Store.

Rather than donating Christmas gifts to families, Peacemakers aims to empower families by allowing them to select, purchase, and wrap three gifts per child. While other organizations may provide families with Christmas gifts for free, this often has unintended negative consequences within a community.

“When parents can come in themselves and pick out gifts that they can afford, it gives them a sense of dignity to provide for their children themselves,” Donna Clifton of Peacemakers said.

The Christmas Toy Store is open by invitation only through a process involving school and county social workers, the Down East Partnership, and other organizations that work with children to determine which families will qualify to shop at the Christmas Toy Store. Clifton said over 1200 invitations were sent out this year, each with a specific date and time.

Peacemakers Christmas Toy Store will allow families to buy the perfect gifts for their children at a reduced rate this Friday and Saturday.

Peacemakers Christmas Toy Store will be open this Friday and Saturday, December 1 and 2 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. each day.

The Christmas Toy Store will need 75-100 volunteers per shift, each of which lasts about 4 hours. Volunteers are needed to help in many ways, including greeters, gift wrappers, and shopping assistants.

The Christmas Toy Store also uses volunteers to create a live nativity to share the gospel message of Christmas with shoppers.

Volunteer shifts start at 8:15 a.m. each day. Many spots are still available for those interested in volunteering. Visit the Christmas Toy Store page for more information about roles and time slots still open. Volunteers of high school age and up can sign up today!

Clifton describes working at the Toy Store as “so fulfilling, and it is amazing to see how touched people are by coming.”

Peacemakers is a Christian community development organization serving the under-resourced area of South Rocky Mount. Their focus is on bringing long-term positive change to the community.

Visit their website for more information and to learn how you can get involved in supporting them.  

Also, check out our TC Spotlight Podcast with Jesse Lewis, Executive Director of Peacemakers to hear about the important work Peacemakers is doing in our area.