After a successful year of making children smile throughout during the holiday season, Curt and Lynn Pritchard are ready to do it again with the help of the community.

“Holiday Hope,” a project created by Lynn was established in 2015 to provide toys to needy children in Sampson County. Through the work of the Lakewood Country Club and donors a plethora of toys were delivered to the Department of Social Services (DSS).

“Every child at the Department of Social Services got approximately three different toys,” Curt said about quality and new unwrapped toys which also made parents happy.

The drive is scheduled to begin the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, Nov. 25 at the Lakewood County Club, 555 Country Club Road, Salemburg from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Donations will be collected through the night of the toy drive party, scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, at the Lakewood Country Club in Salemburg.

Following last year’s party, they toys were packed inside a box truck and delivered to the DSS site.

“The toys were packed in that box point to the point where when you lifted up the gate to unload it, you better step to the side,” Curt said about the toys falling out. “That’s how many toys we had.”

He also mentioned how the DSS facility had to use a conference room area since there was not enough space in the storage shed.

Lynn said Holiday Hope would like to reach or surpass the amount of toys they had last year.

“We want to make sure every child got a toy,” Lynn said. “But to double it in any way would be a win too. We love to see it get larger and larger every year with the community involved.”

Curt feels the same way and hopes to see all communities and towns throughout Sampson County involved.

“Last year, we had a lot of people to participate in Salemburg and Roseboro area,” Curt said. “This is a countywide initiative that we launched. This is for all of the children in Sampson County and we want everybody in the county to bind together.”

Another purpose of the drive was to make sure children throughout Sampson County were the recipients of the donations. It was the alternative to using an outside source or organization.

“That’s really the only way we would have done it,” Lynn said. “We wanted to make sure the families in our communities were getting the love and attention that they deserve. We wanted to do this for the community children.”

For more information about Holiday Hope or donation opportunities, contact Lynn at 910-337-2562.

“Last year was an outstanding success and I couldn’t be any happier for the children in Sampson County and also to see my wife’s dream carried out to support the kids in the county,” Curt said.

Curt and Lynn Pritchard are preparing for another successful year of helping local children during the holiday season.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Drive_1-1.jpgCurt and Lynn Pritchard are preparing for another successful year of helping local children during the holiday season.

In 2015, hundreds of toys were donated for ‘Holiday Hope.’
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Drive_2-1.jpgIn 2015, hundreds of toys were donated for ‘Holiday Hope.’

By Chase Jordan

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Reach Chase Jordan at 910-249-4617. Follow us on Twitter at @SampsonInd and like us on Facebook.