Santa Train once again spreads cheer in Appalachia
Published 1:03 pm Friday, November 27, 2020
Contributed Photo While in line to receive their gifts, children wave from the car. Children were gifted backpacks filled with toys and distributed at the four distribution locations among the usual Santa Train route.
Contributed Photo Volunteers from Food City and Appalachian Power greet families as cars made through the gift distribution line on Saturday, Nov. 21.
Contributed Photo Volunteers from Food City and Appalachian Power spread holiday cheer as gift pickup begins.
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Christmas came early for families in Appalachia last Saturday, according to the sponsors of the CSX Santa Train, who shared that more than 5,000 pre-packed gift bags filled with hats, gloves, scarves and toys were distributed at drive-up events held at four local Food City stores. On the Santa Train’s social media channels, Santa Claus and special guests from years past shared holiday greetings.
“We know how special the Santa Train is to this community, and it was important to us to find a way to keep this holiday tradition going during a challenging year,” said Bryan Tucker, vice president of corporate communications at CSX. “We extend many thanks to our other sponsors, especially Food City, which hosted the event at its stores. Without their support, this special event would not be possible.”
In addition to CSX, event partners include Appalachian Power, Food City, Kingsport Chamber of Commerce and Soles4Souls. This year, the nonprofit First Responders Children’s Foundation provided thousands of toys for the event.
“Our team at Food City was ecstatic to be a part of bringing this year’s Santa Train event to life,” said Raymond Stockard, store manager of North Eastman Road Food City in Kingsport. “We have always been proud of our involvement in the Santa Train, and it was really special to bring that experience to our stores.”
