St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church and School in Nassau Bay had 14 volunteers from age 3 – 80 who helped deliver 50+ bags of unsold clothing from their resale shop, the Nearly New Shop, and 149 wrapped children’s gifts to St. Vincent’s House in Galveston on Saturday, Dec. 12. St. Thomas brings clothing down to Galveston about once a month and they call it the “Great Clothes Out.” As this is the Christmas season, they also provided gifts for children from age 2 – 12. Children, who were older than 12, were given a brand new backpack from St. Vincent’s House. Each child sat on Santa’s lap before getting their present and parents were able to snap these wonderful holiday pictures. Some of the younger children were terrified of Santa but most really looked forward to the visit. The children chose not to open their gifts immediately but to savor the presents. For some, the gift they received might be the only one they get this Christmas. St. Vincent’s provided about 17 gifts, for a total of 166, and there were only 11 gifts unclaimed at the end of the event.
The event started at 10:00 am with customers being able to pick up clothes, coats, hats, shoes and children’s clothing from the available clothing brought by St. Thomas volunteers. St. Vincent’s gave away 45 bags of clothing to deserving individuals. During the shopping for clothes and the gift giving, punch, cookies and ice cream were served to those waiting in line and those who were finished. Also, St. Vincent’s gave away, raffle style, 7 frozen turkeys. One of the winners was a gentleman without a home. His friends who have a home offered to cook the turkey for him.
This is a wonderful example of St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church and School reaching out to assist others in need. The look on those children’s faces was all the thanks the volunteers needed and it brought home the true meaning of Christmas giving!