Toys were arranged according to age and category, to make it easier for Shepherdstown Shares customers to peruse, in the Trinity Episcopal Church fellowship hall last week. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Last week, Shepherdstown Shares expanded its efforts to serve local families in need over the holiday season, by holding a Christmas gift shopping experience in Trinity Episcopal Church’s fellowship hall.

The tables of gifts in the fellowship hall, which is located right beside the Shepherdstown Shares Food Pantry in Trinity Episcopal Chapel, were carefully organized by Shepherdstown Shares volunteer Mary Beth Kilmer to feature donated items based on category and age group. Shepherdstown Shares customers were then led into the hall when they came for their weekly pickup of food from the organization’s food pantry, so they could pick out 4-6 gifts for each of their children.

According to Kilmer, this was the first time the event had taken the shape of a shopping event.

“Hopefully the church will allow us to use this space again next year, so we can do it this way again,” Kilmer said, mentioning the idea for the event was suggested by the Shepherdstown Shares board in 2021, its inaugural year.

The suggestion was prompted, according to Shepherdstown Shares board member Mark Kohut, by Toys for Tots announcing it could not provide gifts for Jefferson County children in need last year. Kilmer then mobilized and began putting up flyers around town, asking for new children’s gift donations, which she then collected, stored in her garage, selected according to individual requests and delivered to the food pantry on the days when families had scheduled to pick them up. At the time, enough donations had been received to provide gifts for any families in need to contact Shepherdstown Shares and receive presents for their children. But with Toys for Tots returning to Jefferson County and a smaller amount of donations this year, the gift-giving event was solely open to regular Shepherdstown Shares Food Pantry customers.

Shepherdstown Shares toy drive director Mary Beth Kilmer organizes new backpacks and lunch boxes on a table in Trinity Episcopal Church’s fellowship hall on Friday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston

“We had so many needy people we were feeding!” Kilmer said, noting Shepherdstown resident Morgan Boyer was a big help in founding the event. “If they can’t afford food, you’ve got to know they don’t have money for toys to buy for their kids.”

According to Shepherdstown Shares Food Pantry Director Cari Simon, this event is one way Shepherdstown Shares is ensuring all of the families in need it is connected with have a full Christmas experience.

“We bought about 75 gift cards, so that we can give each of our adult customers a $25 gift card to Food Lion,” Simon said. “Most families are getting $100 Food Lion gift cards, but we have a couple of really large families of six, seven and 10 members, so they’re each getting a $200 Food Lion gift card. We raised so much money, with the help of Shepherdstown’s churches, to make sure we could ensure our customers have all of the food they need for Christmas.”

Along with the gift cards, the food pantry was open last and this week, so customers could save the gift cards for items needed to round out their Christmas dinners. Additional seasonal items available for customers to take home from the food pantry over the past couple of weeks, included handmade hats and scarves, crafted by Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church’s knitting group; bags of True Treats Historic Candy, donated by the Harpers Ferry business’ owner, Susan Benjamin; Christmas lights; and decorative holly branches, donated by Shepherdstown Farmer’s Market vendor Megan Webber.

“It’s all thanks to the generosity of the Shepherdstown community!” said Shepherdstown Shares board member Jan Hafer, as she helped food pantry customers sign in on Friday afternoon. “It’s a major holiday, and we’re so pleased that we can help ensure these families have a wonderful Christmas!”