SALEM, Va. – The Community Christmas Store of the Roanoke Valley is looking for a permanent location this year.
“The sooner the better,” said 2024 President Angie Apgar with the Community Christmas Store of the Roanoke Valley.
For 30 years, volunteers have given out free clothes, toys and even food to eligible families and people who are 150% outside the poverty level.
The group has helped more than 950 people over the holidays, including 700 children.
“They may not have any family that can help them. I’m fortunate enough to have a lot of family around town, so I know that if I got in a bad situation, I would have a home to go to. I would have someone who could possibly support me financially. A lot of people don’t have that, so I think we fill a little bit of that void for those families,” said Apgar.
Volunteers set up the space that they rent in Salem to look like a department store; however, everything is free.
Apgar said since they rent the space, they have to pack up and put everything in storage every year. If they had a permanent location, they wouldn’t need to move around, allowing them to focus on grants and fundraising so that they could ultimately serve more people.
Eligibility Chair Cindy Martin talked with 10 News about a moment at the store that stayed with her.
“When I was a hostess before I became the eligibility chair, I had one woman I was taking through, and she said, ‘Ma’am, you don’t understand. I can’t afford to pay anything. I have no money.’ I said, ‘Well, ma’am, you don’t have to worry about that. Everything is free here. We just want you to go home and have a Merry Christmas and just get to enjoy life,’” said Martin.
Martin also said she currently has to go to four different locations just to register families. However, if they had a permanent location, they could register people at the store. They could also accept donations year-round, which they cannot do right now.
If you’re looking for more ways to give back, they are also seeking volunteers year-round, which you can sign up for here. There are currently about 500 people on the list.
They need help setting up the store, hosting families and breaking down the store.
“The bulk of our volunteers are in November and December when we are doing our set up and our service time,” said Apgar.