Empty Stocking Fund Opens Applications to Help 1,500 Robeson County Children

The Empty Stocking Fund has started taking applications from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Robeson County Department of Social Services. Parents can apply for kids ages birth to 15.

Each child who qualifies receives a $60 voucher just before Christmas. They can use it at Roses in Lumberton or Roses Express in Fairmont. Applicants must bring a photo ID, proof of household income, and a Social Security number for everyone in the home.

The fund sits at $1,220 in donations as of Tuesday afternoon. Recent donations include $100 from Ronald & Katherine Locklear and $120 from Steven & Dianne Davis.

Much more funding is needed. The initiative served 1,532 children in 2024 at $60 per child, with nearly $88,000 raised. The program also served 1,250 children in 2023.

Stephanie used the program to provide Christmas presents for her four children last year. A 10-year-old boy and three girls aged 8, 5, and 1.

"With me doing everything by myself as a single mother, and paying all the bills by myself, I really don't have any money left over," Stephanie said, per The Robesonian. "With the (Empty) Stocking Fund, it helped me to be able to have that completed for my kids."

The Empty Stocking Fund was launched in 1978 when staff members at The Robesonian put an idea forward to boost the power of a simple Christmas gift. Its mission is to help provide Christmas gifts for local families who might not otherwise be able to afford them for their children.

The program continues today through The Robesonian's partnership with the Robeson County Department of Social Services. Donations for this year must be given at The Robesonian office at 2175 North Roberts Avenue in Lumberton.