Local churches and businesses hope to make certain there’s something under every Christmas tree for children across Beaufort County.

To that end, they united this year to support Christmas Village Toy Store, a project conceived by Covenant Church in Washington. Partnering with Covenant this year were First Baptist Church, First Christian Church, Purpose of God Church Annex, First United Methodist Church, Flanders Filters, Gregory Poole, Hackney and Down on Main Street.

This is the second year the toy store has been offered in Washington, and heading up this year’s project was store manager Carla Bass.

New, donated toys and games were available at prices discounted up to 70 percent, helping parents maintain their pride and dignity while providing Christmas gifts for their children. As an added benefit, proceeds from the sale of the items helped pay holiday wages for local unemployed citizens who were hired to work alongside volunteers in the store.

Thousands of items passed through the hands of volunteers and into shopping carts this year, according to Bass.

The event offers families a “hand up”, not a handout. Families were recommended by local schools, churches, civic organizations and the department of social services, Bass noted. Families then received an invitation to come shop Dec. 11-12 at Covenant Church, located at LifeQuest Inc.

About 150 families were served during this year’s event. And while mom and dad helped Santa with his holiday shopping, youngsters were invited to the Kidz Shop where they listened to a Bible story and made a craft. Each earned Kidz Bucks which they used to shop for gifts for their parents. Donated items including scarves, jewelry, toiletries, socks, mugs and other gifts allowed the children to find special treasures for their parents.

And while the event benefited families throughout the county, it also served as a means to encourage individuals to assume leadership roles in their churches and communities. Dozens of volunteers helped make the toy store a reality.

“Part of our DNA at Covenant Church is to equip and empower,” said Donna Sheets, the church’s outreach coordinator and online campus pastor. “Carla and I have been working together closely this year; we’re always looking for good leaders and we give them the freedom to do ministry.”

For more information about Christmas Village Toy Store, including details on how to support next year’s project, visit www.christmasvillagestore.org.