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By: WCTV Eyewitness News
December 3, 2019
This year, the group is trying to make it easy for folks who prefer to shop online by posting wish lists on Amazon for the families in need.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) — The Christmas Connection is celebrating its 40th year of helping families in the Big Bend.
There are more than 500 families counting on the Christmas Connection to provide gifts, food and basic necessities this holiday season. The Christmas Connection counts on donations and volunteers to make it happen.
WCTV features the needs and wish lists of five families each year to showcase the variety and depth of need in our community.
The Christmas Connection warehouse is now open seven days a week. It’s located on the edge of TCC’s campus at 3969 W. Century Park Circle and it’s open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m.
This year, we are sharing the stories of a family trying to regroup after Hurricane Michael, two families with parents injured or killed in car accidents, an elderly woman trying to care for her disabled son and a U.S. Marine in need of some holiday cheer.
People can drop off items on the family wish lists, adopt a family or choose an item from the Christmas Connection’s Amazon Wish List and have it sent directly to the warehouse. Each family also receives a bag of food, toiletries and cleaning supplies.
For more information you can visit the Christmas Connection website www.thechristmasconnection.org or call the donation center at 850-665-3852.
Case 426 — Jefferson County
A woman who lost her husband and her home to Hurricane Michael is now trying to get back on her feet and take care of her three small children, ages 3, 4 and 5.
The family has lived in five counties since the storm, trying to find stable housing and employment. The mother now lives in Jefferson County and has a part time job, but needs help providing gifts and clothes for her children this holiday season.
Wish list:
Daughter, 3 years old
Son, 4 years old
Daughter, 5 years old
Mother, age 30
Case 233 — Madison County
A disabled U.S. Marine lives in an assisted living facility in Madison. His children do not live nearby, and he rarely sees his family. The 61 year-old-man suffered a brain injury in a military accident. He does have a roommate, but he too rarely gets visitors.
Wish list
61-year-old man
67-year-old man
Case 68 — Leon County
A Tallahassee family is struggling to rebound from a car accident on Easter Sunday in which both parents were injured. The father only recently recovered enough to work part time and is awaiting another surgery. The grandmother has moved in to try to help care for the couple’s two children.
Wish list
Daughter, 6 years old
Son, 7 years old
Mother, 31 years old
Father, 38 years old
Grandmother, 62 years old
Case 93 — Wakulla County
An 83-year-old woman from Crawfordville is struggling to pay the bills and take care of her disabled son.
The son, 61, is deaf and suffers from a heart condition and kidney disease. The woman can barely make ends meet as she pays medical co-pays for her son and travels back and forth for doctor visits.
They are asking for food, toiletries and basic necessities for Christmas.
Wish list:
Mother, 83 years old
Son, 61 years old
Case 281 — Gadsden County
A Gadsden County woman is struggling to pay the bills and provide for her five children after her husband was killed in a motorcycle accident in 2017. She was seven months pregnant at the time.
The woman was a stay-at-home mom and is now trying to pay off a mortgage, car notes and her husband’s final expenses. She continues to take out loans to try to pay her bills and keep her two oldest children enrolled in college.
Wish list:
Mother, 38 years old
Daughter, 20 years old
Daughter, 18 years old
Daughter, 11 years old
Daughter, 2 years old
Grandson, 3 months old
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