Donations from the Angel Stockings Project were delivered for FCCS clients.
Sometimes grief leads people to special projects that help them heal from a devastating loss. Such is the case for the Angel Stockings Project. The group is made up of parents who lost a child due to addiction or mental health issues. It was created by a mother who lost her son to overdose. Her inspiration came from providing those in need with holiday hope and cheer by giving people who suffer from addiction, mental health needs, and/or struggle with grief a chance to find joy and care in the holiday season. Her mission is to show people who are struggling that their lives matter and they are seen and heard despite their struggles.
Last week, the group dropped off Angel Stockings for individuals enrolled in services at our agency. Each stocking includes a card with a personal note emphasizing how much that person matters. Notes are written and signed by moms and dads who have experienced loss and are part of the Angel Stockings Project. Each stocking is unique and packed full of wonderful items. We are most grateful to the Angel Stockings Project for thinking of the people that our agency serves at a time when their support was so meaningful to these individuals.
About The Angel Stockings Project:
2018 was my family’s first Christmas home since my son, Thomas Fletcher, had died from an overdose. As I was decorating the house for the holiday, I came across our stockings. I was hit with a wave of panic and grief; what should I do with my son’s stocking? Leave it in the basement as if he never existed?
Do I hang it and leave it empty? If I fill it, what do I do with the contents? My daughter had a wonderful idea … fill it and donate it to someone like Thomas … someone in need. It was then that the Angel Stocking Project was born. Since 2018, the Angel Stockings Project has grown from 70 stuffed stockings to over 1,000 this past year. These stockings have spread hope and cheer to over five centrally located counties in New York State.
If you would like to support the Angel Stockings Project, please see their attached information.