Catholic Action Center making changes to Christmas store. Here’s why

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) — The Catholic Action Center is doing its Christmas store a little differently this year.

“In years past, it’s been open to everyone. This year we decided that we need to focus attention on the most vulnerable children, and our community needs to be thinking and praying, and helping with them because 660 children now with Fayette County Public Schools have no home,” said Director & Cofounder of CAC Ginny Ramsey.

She says that this is a crisis, and to help these kids, they are changing the way the Faith and Community Christmas store operates this year.

“Our Catholic schools are the ones who are getting all the gifts for them,” said Ramsey.

The students at these schools get to pick out gifts for homeless children their age.

“They are being connected, not by name, but they know that there is a first-grade girl and they’re purchasing a gift for that first-grade girl so that when they wake up on Christmas morning, they’ll know that there is another first-grader getting a gift because of them,” she added.

So while the 28th annual Christmas store will not be open to the general public, Ramsey explained why they decided to focus on the children this year.

“We decided to concentrate and focus on them this year to give them a Christmas to let them know that there is joy and hope, and even if they’re in a bad situation, that the community cares and that all together we can help them to have a joyful and peace-filled Christmas,” said Ramsey.

For those who normally rely on the Christmas store at the CAC for holiday gifts, here are other resources the organization is recommending:

• Firefighters Toy Program
  https://lfdfof.org/toy-program/
• Operation: Secret Santa
  www.operationsecretsanta.org
  Sign-ups will open end of Nov./early Dec.