“How can I help a child who’s hurting this holiday season?” We’ve all wondered the same thing while listening to a touching Christmas song or watching a favorite holiday film. It’s something that weighed heavily on the hearts of our very own Greg and Ann Jones (Phyllis Browning Company REALTORS®) in the fall of 2008. While out to dinner with a client, their concern for children in need was shared and a common passion was discovered. They found that their close friend (and client), local philanthropist Lili Kristan, had recently begun a Christmas shoebox gift project to collect gifts and necessities for children living in shelters, foster or with families in need around San Antonio. After hearing the sobering statistics and numbers supporting the great need, Greg and Ann were committed to helping.
Getting excited about making a difference in their own communities, Greg and Ann partnered up with Lili that year, collected gifts and monetary donations and were able to present 320 shoebox gifts filled with 8-12 toys, clothes and necessities inside each shoebox that year for the Christmas from the Heart Project. Fast forward 10 years and in 2018, Greg and Ann – alongside many fellow Phyllis Browning Company REALTORS®, friends, family, vendor partners, local churches and businesses – donated over 5,000 gifts to children, teens and single teen mothers who found themselves living in shelters, foster or transitional homes during the Christmas season. Within a decade, this project created as a part of J-Jireh Ministries, Inc. (JJM) has grown 1,400%! Not only did the number of shoebox gifts increase, but the geographic scope expanded greatly as well. While still serving San Antonio’s children in need, this volunteer-driven effort from the heart now provides custom Christmas shoebox gifts to children and teens living in shelters throughout South Texas bringing Christmas (and the story of Jesus’ birth and love) to kids in San Antonio, Boerne, New Braunfels, Bergheim, Bulverde, Hunt, Kerrville, Fredericksburg, Castroville, Medina, Bandera, Selma Universal City and Bulverde. Greg and Ann have been faithful supporters of Christmas Shoebox Gifts since 2008 and Greg has been a Board Member of JJM for several years.
So how can you help? If you’d like to make a meaningful impact in a child’s or teen’s life this holiday season, please consider adopting some Christmas shoebox gifts at a cost of $25 per shoebox. Your monetary donation will go toward putting together a custom-packed Christmas shoebox gift that will bless the recipient. To provide a donation online, please visit https://j-jirehministries.org/shop/christmas-shoebox-donation/ or you may contact Greg Jones of Phyllis Browning Company to make a monetary or gift donation at: gjones@phyllisbrowning.com. You may also contact Lili Kristan of JJM at jjministries12@gmail.com with your donation or questions. Those that would like to help in the Christmas workshop packing, inspecting and assigning these gifts are also more than welcome. Contact Lili for that schedule (jjministries12@gmail.com). This holiday season, consider giving back to the community alongside many of our Phyllis Browning Company REALTORS®. We wish you a very Happy Holiday Season and a Prosperous New Year!
