Gifts for God’s Children

Gifts for families in need

Catholic Charities of West Tennessee teamed up with Bishop Martin Holley for their event, Gifts for God’s Children”. Catholic Charities is right on the front lines helping the needy in one of the poorest big cities in our country – Memphis.

For many families the holiday season presents even more of a struggle for families to provide food, gifts, and the very basics of living to their children and family members. Gifts for God’s Children is a wonderful example of how local organizations are coming together to support families who are in need of assistance this holiday season. Bishop Martin Holley and Catholic Charities of West Tennessee gave to those in need by providing toys and food to needy children and families outside Catholic Charities in Memphis.

Memphis is one of the poorest big cities in our nation and Catholic Charities is right on the front lines helping the needy. Families sign up for food and toys prior to the event and drive up and they are given a box of food, including a turkey, and the toys for the age children they requested. Many children are also given the chance to take a photo with Santa for the first time ever.

Bishop Holley, shown wearing black ear muffs, was once one of many children who grew up in a very poor home.

Photojournalist Karen Pulfer Focht remembers Bishop Holley telling a crowd that he could remember waking up on Christmas and knowing that “other people”, strangers as a matter of fact, gave his family toys for Christmas. Even as a little boy, he understood how special this was.
The beauty behind this wonderful gesture does not go unnoticed. There are too many children who wake up on Christmas day without gifts from Santa. If you or anyone you know finds it hard to give a gift during the holiday season, there are many organizations which can make child and/or family’s wish come true.

For more information on similar programs that help others give gifts during the holiday season can be found at Toys for Tots or Compassion International. You can also look for local organizations or churches in your own neighborhood.

BOUQUETS OF HOPE – SPREADING KINDNESS AND LOVE

Bouquets of Hope

Bouquets of Hope, breathes new life into gently use floral bouquets by turning them into smaller arrangements that are then delivered to patients in hospitals, nursing homes, and retirement communities in the Memphis area.

Catholic Charities of West Tennessee and Bishop Martin Holley, pictured in third photo,  teamed up to bring joy and love to the elderly with bouquets of flowers that had been re-purposed from flowers from Bishop Martin Holley’s installation as Bishop of Memphis.

Bouquets of Hope also serves as a job training and employment opportunity for clients from Immigration Services and St. Sebastian Veterans Services. Volunteers have the opportunity to work with top floral designers in the Memphis area while also learning job skills that will last a lifetime.

A study done in 2001 by Rutgers University found that flowers helped to ease depression, improve social interaction, and enhance memory in those adults over the age of 55.

A volunteer delivering flowers to a nursing home tells one resident, “It’s called a bouquet of hope today and its to make you smile, and I’m not allowed to leave until you give me a smile.”

We love this video that shares the kindness and love that is spread by this ministry.

Bouquets of Hope is a volunteer-driven opportunity. You can find out more about this ministry and ways you could help by contacting Christine at [email protected] or (901) 722-4759.

Photos taken by Karen Pulfer Focht