Exactly 10 days after Tia Artis lost everything in a house fire, her children got to pick out toys for Christmas.
Artis’ house on McAdoo Street in Kinston caught on fire Friday, Dec. 11, causing her to need clothing, shoes, bedding, furniture and essential items.
Though a GoFundMe account, “Tia Artis needs our help,” was created seven days ago to assist Artis with those needs, she and five of her children went down pews inside the City Hall chambers Monday, Dec. 21, to pick out toys donated by families to Kinston Mayor Dontario Hardy.
“It means everything, like the outpouring from all the support from the community,” Artis said. “For them to be granted with everything that they could possibly want this Christmas when everything was just taken from us 10 days ago, it means everything. It means the world to me.”
Her 5-year-old son Shadore slid down a pew for a Nerf gun, but then a bicycle caught his eye. With the Nerf gun in one hand, he grabbed the bike’s handlebar with the other. His siblings Taylor, 3, Quaeir, 9, Tiahri, 7, and Tiani, 11, picked out five toys each to take with them. They will have to give some of the toys to their other siblings, Jameon and Tiaja, who were not present Monday evening.
And all seven children will have to wait until Christmas to play their new toys, according to their mother.
“It is nothing but joy to see them have toys for Christmas,” Artis said. “They probably won’t be able to feel the struggle how the house fire really impacted us. I’m just glad no one was hurt, and everyone made it out.”
Hardy left a free COVID-19 testing site recently and decided to go to Walmart where he shopped with some families, who wanted to donate toys to families in need.
“It's something that they need or want during this holiday,” Hardy said. “We’re glad we’re able to do this with the collaboration with myself and other resources. Networking is the key to be able to provide for those in need.”
Hardy met Tyian Gardner at one of the testing sites, and she mentioned to Hardy that she needed help with her children for Christmas. She recently had to move out of her house in Richlands, where she lived for 15 years, and relocate to Kinston.
Gardner arrived at City Hall by herself to pick out toys for her children Dniya, Deondrea, MiAmor, and Messiah.
“I know that there are still good people around that love and care and try to help anybody,” Gardner said. “I’m going to be smiling so hard on Christmas.”
Hardy said Gardner and her children were near being homeless.
“While the Artis family lost everything, the Gardner family had to relocate. This is why I chose to help these families that are in need,” Hardy said. “These two families were similar. They both didn’t have anything to get their children for Christmas, and they both are now just relocating into their new residences.”
2020-12-22 01:01:36Z
https://www.kinston.com/story/news/2020/12/21/two-kinston-families-receive-toys-just-time-christmas/4002184001/
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