Young volunteers stuff 2,500 stockings for children on Christmas

Some special elves are helping spread holiday cheer. They are stuffing thousands of stockings for children in need this Christmas. The elves: Dozens of young children, families and members of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office formed assembly lines to make stockings for an event that has supported Florida children in need for a decade.

Volunteers helped to fill 2,500 stockings during he 10th Annual Stockings 4 Kids at United Way in Fort Myers Saturday.

“There’s a bunch of stockings, and my arms are getting really tired,” volunteer Marco Munira said.

The event allows the children volunteers to act as Santa’s Christmas elves stuffing stockings with gifts to support other children in the state.

“I sweat a lot,” volunteer Mylie Robbins said, as she put her hands on her face to show she was a bit tired. “We’re doing 2,000 stockings here today.”

Once the singing kicks up and the stockings start speeding by, even the youngest volunteers start to notice what this stocking station is all about.

“He just thought it was fun to get together with his cousins and stuff the stockings and be an elf,” said Kira Krumm, Marco Island Volunteer and mom. “But now that he’s 7, he really does understand the importance of thinking about others and doing things for others.”

Lee Knapp, founder of the event, strives to bring Christmas memories to children, who she feels are all deserving.

“Christmas is my favorite time of the year and the thought of a child having nothing to open on that special morning is heartbreaking,” Knapp said. “Stockings 4 Kids brings local businesses, adults, and children together to provide a beautiful Christmas stocking filled with wonderful surprises to 2,500 children in the area.”

Stockings 4 Kids creates the gifts and then will donate them to 25 charities in Southwest Florida and around the state for Christmas this year. LCSO will help the organization distribute the gifts to all the selected charities.

Stockings 4 Kids accepts donations to support children through its cause. Knapp can be reached at (239) 898-0941 or lee@leeknapp.com. More information is available at the organization’s website.

“My favorite memory was hugging the stuffed animals,” Munira said. “I’m like good luck and then put them in the stocking.”