Each year, The Cabbage Patch is a place of joy and hope for those who otherwise would struggle to provide their families with a merry Christmas. Our Patch Parents work hard to support their children, but the holiday season, combined with winter utility bills, can put a strain on the budget. We are fortunate to have so many volunteers and community partners who enjoy making connections with our Patch families and putting a personal touch on holiday assistance.
Sponsors are needed for families and can be a wonderful experience for young people in particular. Or, individual gifts can be collected for children and youth ages 8-18. Children can work together with their parents while learning the value of giving back to their community. Our young volunteer, Georgia, has the best explanation of the heartwarming feeling that our volunteers enjoy at Christmas time. We are grateful to Georgia for allowing us to share her thoughts!
Volunteers shop with Patch Parents to help them find the perfect gifts!
For information about sponsoring a family or donating during the holiday season, please contact Calvin Holloway at cholloway@cabbagepatch.loc or Doug Holm at DHolm@cabbagepatch.loc.
The Cabbage Patch
By: Georgia
There are lots of things that can make you feel good about yourself. But something that has always stuck out in my mind is when I go to deliver with my family for The Cabbage Patch. The Cabbage Patch is an organization that helps children and their families that are less fortunate. Our church helps The Cabbage Patch by bringing presents and groceries to these families around Christmas time. There is one delivery in particular that was more meaningful for me than others. It made me feel like I was actually making someone happier and that, to me, is the best feeling in the world.
It was about two years ago, a couple weeks before Christmas. It was just after our regular Sunday church service when we began to load up the car with the goods for the family that we were assigned to. After everything had been packed up, we put the address of the family we were going to into the GPS and took off for their house. As we went further downtown, I noticed that I had never seen this part of the city before. I didn’t see any shops or stores and it seemed a bit desolate. Then we got to the house.
The house was shabby and slightly run down. We parked the car and got out. My mom went up to the front door and rang the doorbell. A middle-aged African American woman answered the door. “We’re here for The Cabbage Patch,” said my mom. The woman burst into tears. She directed us on where to put everything and we began to bring the gifts and groceries in. Once I had gotten inside the house, I saw how bare it was inside. After about 10 minutes, we had brought everything inside of the house.
It was just about time to leave. The woman thanked us again and again and hugged all of us. She was crying so much it was near to sobbing. I could tell that my mom was near tears too and frankly, so was I. Finally, we said goodbye and got back into the car. As we were driving home, I thought about what we had just done. I knew that we had just made her Christmas better and because of that, my Christmas was better too.
When my family and I deliver for Cabbage Patch, we’re being kind, and being kind makes me feel good about myself. It makes me feel like I’m helping someone, and not just helping them up when they’ve fallen down. The Cabbage Patch makes me feel much more than that, like I’m really making a difference in not only in that family’s Christmas, but in the whole world. And that, like I said before, is the best feeling that I could ever feel.