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Nazareth Farms gets into the holiday spirit with drive-thru event

By Candice Black 3 min read

WEST UNION -- As a way to give a boost of Christmas joy to the community, Nazareth Farms in Doddridge County held a drive-through Christmas event last weekend where it distributed hygiene products and gifts to children.

For the past 20 years, Nazareth Farms, an non-profit organization that brings in volunteers from around the county, hosts a Christmas party at Doddridge County Park as a way to interact with the community and enjoy the holiday season together, according to Allyson Petry, executive director.

As a safe alternative for the event, Nazareth Farms designed a drive-through at the park to disperse the hygiene products and gifts.

"We wanted to make sure that we could still provide a need for families who aren't able to get out to the grocery store," Petry said.

Because funds weren't used for the big party event, Petry said they were able to put that money toward the gifts and products.

This decision goes right along with their mission to impact lives, Petry said.

"This is the first year of the hygiene bags. We usually give away a gift (but) it's more than just Santa giving gifts, it's a change to talk with people," she said. "We usually provide a little hot meal. It's a fun thing for families too and we wanted to see how we could meet the needs and we knew we would be saving the money by not having a party. (We were) trying to think about what would be impactful and (to) stay within our mission to impact lives."

Several groups in the area donated to this effort by providing facemasks and other needed materials for the bags. Health Access in Clarksburg provided toothbrushes and toothpaste, the Doddridge County Family Resource Network donated socks and several family members of the staff from Nazareth Farm donated money.

"I know people were excited to get those items," Petry said. "Families are important and it's important to be able to give to adults as well. We felt like that was a practical need that families would probably have."

Eighty-two children were gifted presents and around 43 families came to the event.

"I think people were really appreciative of a chance to pick up items that they needed in a safe way. We asked people to wear masks and they didn't have to get out of their cars," Petry said. "It (gave) us a chance to see our friends and to share that Christmas joy."

Candice Black can be reached at cblack@newsandsentinel.com.

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