Editor, Gazette-Journal:

The Mathews community has again come forward to show overwhelming support toward the annual project we all know as the "Christmas Store." There were 265 adults and 145 children shoppers at the Christmas Store held at Kingston Parish House on Dec. 10 and 11. Another 43 children shopped for their parents at the Elf Shoppe. Peggy Hudgins and her lead assistant, Irene Cheatham, put in over 250 hours toward this project.

Other volunteers included Martha Ann Ashberry, Dana Brown, Tom Hunley, Jack Cranford, Charlene Small, Pearl Sadler, Annie Payne, Carol Swartz and Kingston Parish Youth. All told, a total of 658 hours were donated!

A special thanks to the following: Mathews High School Beta Club, for their help with the set-up; Central United Methodist Church, for the many shoeboxes they filled; Kingston Parish, for the use of the building, the filled stockings and the youth group’s assistance; county employees and other citizen volunteers who...