The children of Grayson County will have the opportunity to learn first hand the joy of giving during the Christmas season thanks to one local church and lots of volunteers.

More than 300 children, who qualify for the Grayson County Christmas Program will be allowed to shop for the adult family members in their homes at the thrift store located behind the Leitchfield United Methodist church.

“All year we have the thrift store open and we sell things like household items and clothing to provide this event for the children,” said Pat Wagner. “The children are each given a ticket and they come here to shop for Mom, Dad, Grandma, depending on who lives in the home. That way there is something under the tree for the children and they can experience the joy of giving at Christmas.”

Wagner added, “We glean gifts from those donated all year and put them away for Christmas.”

Only the best items and new items are set aside for the children to choose as gifts for their parents. Wagner and other volunteers sort through the donations that are set aside and come into the thrift store and put together baskets and packages that make wonderful gifts for the parents to open on Christmas day.

This is the sixth year the Christmas Store has been operating.

“Gail Basham was the youth leader of our church and the kids always had a yard sale to raise money,” said Wagner. “Then one of the kids suggested we just keep this set up all year as a thrift store and the idea of the Christmas store just evolved from there.

“A lot of people (at the church) felt we should expand and that it was a great ministry for the church. I really got involved after I retired. I was kind of looking for my niche and I found it with the Christmas store.”

The first two Saturdays are set aside for shopping and gift-wrapping of the presents the children will put under the tree.

The children arrive with a ticket that is given out by the Family Resource Centers to qualifying families and wait patiently for their turn to shop in one of the two rooms set up with the Christmas treasures.

While the children shop in the basement there is a Christmas party in progress upstairs with Santa in attendance.

When the shopping is complete, the presents and the children are taken to a second room and the gifts are wrapped.

Each child is then given a new pair of shoes and socks, underwear and a new toothbrush as a special present to take home. These items are donated to the thrift store by an anonymous donor.