Deadlines coming up for this year’s Christmas Mother applicants
Published 3:17 pm Monday, November 14, 2022
- Since its inception in 2016, the Prince Edward Christmas Mother (PECM) program has made Christmas memories for hundreds of children. Every year in December PECM holds a distribution day in the Fireman Sports Arena where parents can go shopping at tables where toys and gifts are arranged age-appropriately. (Photo by Carson Reeher)
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FARMVILLE – It’s almost time to ‘Stuff the Truck” for Prince Edward Christmas Mother. The annual donation collection event will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19 at the Farmville Walmart. Haley Automall of Farmville will provide the trucks, with volunteers from the community asked to load them up with toys for the Christmas Mother distribution.
Christmas Mother is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to provide Prince Edward County families in need with toys, books and other gift items during the holiday season, by collecting toys and gifts and setting up a donation day event for parents and children to pick out what they like. The organization was established in 2016 by a small group of women in Prince Edward County who wanted to make a difference in the lives of those in need.
Each year, a woman from the community is selected to be the “Christmas Mother” and for 2022, that honor goes to Patsy Watson. Watson is a long-time resident of Prince Edward County. She and her husband own Watson Insurance Agency and raised their four children here. Patsy was instrumental in the founding of the Southside Virginia YMCA. She also worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to ensure all in our community had access to COVID vaccinations.
Additionally, she founded the Interfaith Collective called Farmville Cares, which brings together community members from all faiths, for special projects. Their projects include community education, hosting remembrance vigils, working with refugee families, and more.
When will gifts be distributed?
Distribution of this year’s Christmas Mother gifts will be held Tuesday, Dec. 7 at the Firemen’s Sports Arena. That’s located at 1328 Zion Hill Road in Farmville.
You can also still apply for your family. The Farmville Southside YMCA, located at 580 Commerce Road, will take applications from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 14. Also, for more information, you can email Christmas Mother at pechristmasmother@gmail.com or visit their website by clicking here.
