Ashley & Nate

What does it take to heal a child’s broken heart? When Ashley and her young children’s lives started to unravel, she was worried that she would not have the means to give them a Christmas celebration. “Our lives fell apart. I left a bad relationship, but then we soon lost our home, our car and I had to put my education on hold.”

“As the holiday got closer, I knew there would be no extra money for presents. We barely had enough food to eat. What made it worse—my nine-year-old son, Nate, knew it, too. I remember him going to bed with tears in his eyes that night.” That’s when Ashley came to The Salvation Army Toy Shop. “When I went to pick up toys for my son and daughter, the staff treated me with such dignity and respect. The love and generosity they showed me was overwhelming. Unlike anything I had experienced. They spent time with me, talked and prayed with me. They told me I was gonna make it.”

“To see Nate’s face when he woke up to a tree and gifts on Christmas morning—he was so happy, and I just cried!” Ashley went home with more than just presents; she felt renewed and hopeful. To provide gifts to her daughter and son proved to her that she would be okay. With God’s grace and a little support from The Salvation Army, a mother’s love shined through on a Christmas morning for two very deserving young children.