Pastor who grew up in poverty looks to extend New Haven ‘Christmas to Remember’ program to Hartford teens in need
Pastor Brenda Adkins grew up in poverty as the oldest of 10 children and remembers quietly crying in her room on Christmas mornings because there was nothing for her under the tree.
Her mother explained she had to spend the limited money on the youngest siblings. Adkins understood intellectually — but she never forgot that feeling.
“It made me feel like I was undeserving,” Adkins said.
As an adult, Adkins’ emotional pain remains, so she and her husband, John, started, “Christmas to Remember,” a gift card program for teens in New Haven.
Now they are extending the program to teens in Hartford, as people in the Greater Hartford community have blessed the program with many gift card donations through the years.
“We’ve been a blessing to youth in New Haven, but this year we want to bless Hartford [as well],” Brenda Adkins said. ”No child should wake up on Christmas morning and not have anything.”
They are also seeking donations of gift cards this year. Adkins recommends gift cards of $25-$50 to stores such as Walmart and Target because they carry such a wide variety of items. But they are open to other stores and even eateries liked by teens.
The Adkins, who run His Divine Will Fellowship church in New Haven, are also reaching out to people who need baby formula and/or disposable diapers up to size 6, as they have an abundance.
“Some people say, ‘It’s just a gift card,’ but when a youth is in a house of five or six kids it means a lot to wake up and find a gift card,” Adkins said. “It’s better than waking up with no gift.”
Times are tough, Adkins said, as evidenced by the hundreds who waited in line in the cold — including Hartford residents — to attend the couple’s Day of Joy Thanksgiving feast and food, coat and diaper giveaway.
She said people are making tough choices between paying rent, buying food and paying for utilities these days. Adkins said nearly two weeks after the Day of Joy, people are still calling her for food.
“The struggle is real. We want to take some of the pressure off,” Adkins said. “It doesn’t seem bad to people who have enough.”
Anyone from Hartford can apply for the gift card program by emailing Adkins at Brendaadkins175@yahoo.com. To donate a card, call Adkins at 203-836-6832 or mail them to 330 Munson St., New Haven, CT 06511.
