A beloved ministry of Clayton Memorial UU Church is our effort at Christmas/holiday to provide gifts for adolescents in foster care in Newberry County!! You may bring gifts you’d like to contribute to the Church. If you prefer, you can contribute money for gift purchases or Wal-Mart gift cards. Use the “SUPPORT CMUU” page on this website to contribute through PayPal, mail it to us, put it in the collection plate as designated funds or give to a Board member. We strive to include a gift card with every gift bag put together for an adolescent. The foster care case workers in Newberry County will take the adolescent to spend the gift cards so that they may get something special for themselves, clothes or shoes.
Some Background: For several years now at Christmas time, Clayton Memorial has worked with Newberry County DSS to put together gift bags filled with gifts (usually including a back pack) for foster kids, those who are not in their homes for some reason. Newberry County has historically had more than a few children in foster care. In 2021 we provided Christmas gifts for 12 teenagers in foster care. Foster kids are often in shelters. They are often taken out of their homes with just the clothes (or pajamas) on their backs, sometimes without even shoes. The DSS workers keep donated (usually used) clothes to use in if needed. These may or may not fit.
Why do we give backpacks? A member of CMUU worked on a project evaluation where they saw children in a shelter who had been given some clothes (as they had come with none). They carried them with them in plastic trash bags given to them by the shelter. We feel that the backpack can be something that will be their own territory/property, something the children can use to protect things that are special to them. DSS workers say that backpacks are a good idea because the kids often have to move around.
A few things to know (rules):
- Donated gifts for this project cannot be wrapped. They will be put in large festive gift bags.
- The primary rule at DSS is that no used items are accepted for Christmas gifts. DSS does accept them as supplies for throughout the year, however.