Scarritt Bennett Center Shares Christmas with over 1000 Guests During Free Shopping Experience.
The spirit of Christmas flowed from Scarritt Bennett Center throughout the community of Middle Tennessee as over 1000 guests participated in our free shopping experience for kids designed to share the joy of giving.
What began on a rainy Monday evening on December 16th as Scarritt staff and volunteers unloaded and unpacked 36 pallets of merchandise in Laskey’s Great Hall, transformed into a magical Christmas experience for kids and families that included crafts, movies, storytelling and hot chocolate, cider, cookies and photos with Santa.
Scarritt Bennett collaborated with Kids’ 4 Good as a site for the experience. Kids’ 4 Good receives donated merchandise and dispatches 18 wheelers to various sites from Brooklyn, throughout the Midwest and Southeast. The truck Scarritt received was a collection of home goods, jewelery, clothing and accessories for kids to choose from as gifts, yet we needed more toys.
So, we went shopping.
And we were ready as guests arrived Friday 20th and Saturday 21st creating continuous lines from the front doors of Laskey Welcome Center well into the parking lot.
Kids entered the Great Hall of Laskey while parents and family members waited in the lobby area warming with refreshments. Kids were helped by elves in the Great Hall to select an item for themselves and 2 items for family. In this way, they considered what others might want or need and had the joy of giving Christmas gifts.
Waiting for a photo with Santa and seeing our African American Santa seated in front of the tree, one small child turned to a Scarritt staff member, confused, and said, “Santa’s White.” Staff replied that they well might have met a White Santa, but there are all sorts of Santa’s and the elf sitting in front of the tree was indeed the real thing.
In this largely White European centric society, it is interesting to wonder how many of us have never seen a Black Santa, or a Santa from the many cultures that call this planet home. They consider Santa to be White and perhaps consider Jesus to be White.
A poignant reminder that even, and perhaps especially when celebrating God’s gift of Jesus to the whole world, that the work Scarritt Bennett produces year round is essential to helping folks reframe old narratives and see ourselves in kinship with one another.
Scarritt Bennett Center weaves Racial Justice, Women’s Empowerment, Spiritual Formation and Transformative Education into everything we do, creating impact throughout the community as we move toward a more just and equitable society, together.
Executive Director Rev. Soundrea Tolbert shared, ““What an awesome way to end the Centennial Celebration of Scarritt’s impact on the community and beyond. Our dedicated staff and volunteers shopped for toys, created crafts, offered storytelling and movies. Our Chef Joe Irvin and Chef Whitney supplied hot Cider and Chocolate and kept the cookies coming! We came together to make this learning experience for kids something for entire families to remember.”