COVINGTON, Ky. — For 57 years, the Be Concerned food pantry has enhanced its efforts during the holiday season, supplying not just food but toys for families in need.

What You Need To Know

  • Staff members and volunteers worked to transform the Be Concerned food pantry's storefront into its annual Christmas store 

  • Families got to shop alongside volunteers to pick out gifts best suited for their children 

  • Longtime volunteer Deborah Prather, once a recipient of the pantry, now spends her Christmas giving back 

  • The pantry will be closed until Jan. 6, 2025 

Pantry staff and volunteers worked to transform an empty storefront into the pantry's annual Christmas Store. This allows families in need to shop for toys for free and gives them the opportunity to select gifts that best suit their children and/or grandchildren's wishes. 

“Families that need our help come to us, but we just don't give them a box full of stuff and say, 'This is what your family gets,'" said Andy Brunsman, longtime executive director of the Pantry. "They're actually coming to this Christmas store and going to shop with volunteers ... to actually pick out the appropriate items for their families."

The store was stocked multiple times, ensuring welcoming families got to select the perfect gift for their little ones. Longtime volunteer Deborah Prather said the mission is personal.

“It was a tough time," Prather said, as she reflected on her and her children needing services provided through the pantry years ago. "They helped me with food so that it stretched my other dollars to pay bills and keep us afloat.”

Prather said she’s now paying it forward and makes sure to volunteer. As she restocked shelves, she reflected on beloved memories of her family and how far they've come.

“My grandchildren, they're grown now, but I miss playing with the Transformers," she said. "We used to ... make those things into cars and trucks and then into robot things.”

For many families, the Christmas store is a lifeline.  

"God is good," said James Wilkerson, shopper. "He always makes it a way for everybody. I encourage everybody that doesn't have much (to) come on out (for) free.”

Serving families during the holiday is the true gift of Christmas, Prather said. 

"This is my Christmas right here," she said. "This is the best part for me, just helping someone with their Christmas, like someone helped me in the past.”

The Be Concerned Christmas Store opened Dec. 1, 2024. While the pantry will be closed Christmas Day, it will reopen Jan. 6, 2025 to continue its mission of serving the community.

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