In another year of scarcity, the Lord led many towards overwhelming generosity in support of the Christmas Store. Families from two low-income neighborhoods were blessed!
PSM’s holiday ministries run a little differently. The hope is to love neighbors extravagantly and to affirm the dignity of parents who select and purchase new toys for their children at a steep discount. To those ends, a fully functioning neighborhood store is provided. The community provides brand new toys and funds to purchase toys. A similar concept works out through a separate Kids’ Corner where kids come shop for their parents and loved ones at even steeper discounts.
Christmas Store by the numbers:
- More than $35,000 (retail value) in new toys were sold at 75% below their cost
- 27 businesses, churches, organizations, and countless individuals donated toys and wrapping paper supplies
- 235 kids were shopped for (this doesn’t include the parents and family members shopped for at Kids’ Corner)
- 329 volunteers filled 348 slots, totaling 780 volunteer hours throughout the Christmas Store
After the final store, excess toys were donated to local nonprofits to round out their holiday ministries.
The Christmas Store took place while our after-school tutoring program continued. Staff and Board rejoice knowing neighborhood families enjoyed the ability to provide for their own family and were pointed to The Father who gave Jesus, the embodiment of every good and perfect gift.
Parker Street Ministries (PSM) is a 501c3 nonprofit in Lakeland, Florida that follows a Gospel-centered model characterized by living, listening, affirming dignity, and building community together in and through the Parker Street neighborhood. For twenty-two years, PSM’s vision has been to see a city transformed by the power of the Gospel through building champions who make possible desirable neighborhoods, lifetime learners, financial sustainability, and healthy communities for all.