After saying yes to a life-changing request, Charlotte mom needs holiday season help

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When Charlotte resident Deherda Brown’s neighbor asked for a favor, she never imagined it would result in caring for an infant.

One Monday in late July, a neighbor asked Brown to take custody of Raven Green, a 13-day-old infant who was the neighbor’s god-daughter. Brown provided few details about the reasons behind the neighbor’s unexpected request. Brown asked to be the last resort and suggested family and friends.

But on that Friday, little Raven was delivered to Brown by Child Protective Services with nothing but a two-week supply of formula from the hospital: Brown was indeed the baby’s last resort.

Brown is one of about 2,600 families in this year’s Angel Tree program from The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte.

The program is one of The Salvation Army’s most popular efforts. It matches children in need with anonymous donors who buy them presents for Christmas. Senior citizens and people with disabilities also receive gifts.

In cases where donors don’t step up, Charlotte Observer readers cover the expense by giving to the Empty Stocking Fund, which the Observer has sponsored since about 1920.

Money raised by last year’s Empty Stocking Fund permitted the Salvation Army to purchase more than 11,000 toys for children and 1,741 gift cards for seniors in the Silver Bells program. An additional 821 gift cards were distributed to agencies serving foster children and children and adults with disabilities.

This year, over 8,300 children, seniors and people with disabilities will receive gifts through funds from the Empty Stocking Fund.

Brown’s first-grader, Eirish, has registered for the past three years. Raven was added to the Angle Tree application this year.

More than 6,000 children registered to receive toys and clothes through the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program this year. The child’s family also receives a $25 food gift card.

Baby’s first Christmas

Brown and Eirish moved to Charlotte from Columbia four years ago. Unable to afford housing on their own, they moved into a crowded living situation with Brown’s sister. Just a year ago, Brown found an apartment in West Charlotte.

Brown currently works in a temporary position in the insurance industry.

Last year, Eirish, added Nintendo Switch Lite to her Angel Tree list. She knew it was a long shot. But Brown was shocked when it appeared in her daughter’s bag.

“When I saw that, I cried like a baby,” Brown said. “She had everything she wanted and (then) some. One day, I’m going to be at that point so I can be somebody’s angel.”

This year, 6-year-old Eirish asked for a game for her Nintendo Switch Lite, a kitchen set and L.O.L. Surprise! Dolls. For Raven, now 5 months old, Brown asked for a Jumperoo and an Explore and Crawl Elephant to help her learn to crawl.

Brown’s mother in Sumpter, South Carolina, started a tradition when her first grandchildren were born 14 years ago: After the Thanksgiving meal, each grandchild decorates an ornament for the Christmas tree.

Every grandchild’s ornament is added to grandma’s tree as a celebration of their age and place in the family.

Last month, Brown signed paperwork to begin the full adoption process for Raven. And Raven joined in the family tradition.

“We put up the Christmas tree and then we started decorating ornaments,” Brown explained. “Of course, this was Raven’s first Christmas ornament on the tree.”

Flexibility

Senior citizens, 62 and older, in the Silver Bells program received gift cards for the first time last year, due to COVID19. Gift cards will be given out again this year because it gives seniors flexibility.

“We moved to purchasing a gift card through the Empty Stocking Fund,” said Major Wilma Mason, area commander for The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte. “We learned they (senior citizens) were able to truly use the gift card for what they needed. If they needed a prescription, they could take that card to Walmart and buy that prescription.”

Mason has been with The Salvation Army for eight years. Since 2020, she and her husband, Major Todd Mason, serve as area commanders for The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte overseeing eight Boys & Girls Clubs, two homeless shelters and churches in Mecklenburg and Union counties. Mason’s been involved with the Angel Tree program and the organization’s other Christmas Assistance programs.

“I believe Charlotte is a very giving community and (…) the need gets met by the people who buy in and help us,” Mason said. “I think this program allows us as a community to invest and care for those in our community who need to know they are seen; they are loved and they are cared for.”

How to donate

To donate online: EmptyStockingFundCLT.org. To donate by mail, send checks to: The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte, P.O. Box 31128, Charlotte, NC 28231. Make checks payable to The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte and write “Empty Stocking Fund” in the memo line.

Questions concerning your donation? Call 704-716-2769.