M-burg's Cove Christmas Love Helps 35 Families, 100 Children

Martinsburg's Cove Christmas Love project served 35 families and approximately 100 children this year.

This was the second year that Martinsburg Memorial Church of the Brethren had been the host church for Martinsburg's Cove Christmas Love.

This project was started about 10 years ago by the Martinsburg Police Department. When the giving increased and the department moved to their new home, the police asked the Martinsburg Ministerium to take it over. Pastor Mary Hendricks and Betty Royer were then in charge. St Johns United Church of Christ was the center of activity for a number of years until both Hendricks and Royer retired and they decided it was time for someone else to be in charge. The Martinsburg Ministerium of Churches is still the sponsor but Chris Garretson, pastor of Memorial Church, is now running the program.

Cove Christmas Love collects toys, games and books for needy families in the 16662 ZIP code. The names are collected by Spring Cove School District nurses Linda Lafferty and Darci Berkhimer. Children from infancy to age 16 are included. All names are kept confidential and only known to the nurses and the pastor. Ages and number of children are given to volunteers who pick out gifts and bag them for distribution.

In addition to the children's gifts each family is given a new blanket, a $50 gift card to the C&S Family Market and a $50 gift card to Walmart.

In 2019 the church had a banquet for families, but this was not possible this year due to the pandemic.

Pastor Garretson says he is extremely grateful for the gifts and the monetary contributions this Christmas season for the children.

"We are overwhelmed by the generosity of this community," he said.