ROCKINGHAM — Breakfast will be served and children will get toys thanks to Clerk of Superior Court Vickie Daniel’s second annual Christmas Breakfast this Saturday.
Daniel will provide food — which has been donated by organizations from surrounding counties — at no cost to attendees in exchange for the donation of any amount and any variety of non-perishable food or a new, unopened toy. The food will go to Our Daily Bread Food Ministry and the toys will be given to the Marine Toys for Tots program that gives needy children toys for Christmas.
“That’s what it’s all about, seeing the looks on those kids’ faces,” Daniel said. “People have been so good to us that it’s a way of giving back to the community.”
The Christmas Breakfast will be held from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Dec. 15 at the Rockingham National Guard Armory located at 1207 Rockingham Road.
Daniel started the breakfast last year after talking to her friend Ronnie Lowder, who has worked with the Christian Cooking Convoy in Stanley County for about 15 years, about an event that was held in Stanley County. Now, the pair make up the core of a multi-county operation to bring Christmas cheer to families in need.
Most of the food is donated from Stanley County, though the eggs come from Union County and the biscuits come straight from the Rockingham Bojangles, according to Daniel. Anson County Commissioner Vancine Sturdivant is a strong supporter of the breakfast as well, a token of appreciation for Daniel having helped her with Toys for Tots and feeding the homeless since 2012.
“I know it sounds strange — Stanley County, Union County, Anson County — that’s the beauty of friendship is that the counties, we connect and help each other,” Daniel said.
Sturdivant, CEO of the non-profit Faith Based Center for H.O.P.E. (Helping Others Promote Equality), said part of the reason it means so much to her to help Daniel is because the two public servants share a common bond: they both grew up in “poverty-stricken” areas.
“I said at an early age that if God ever gave me anything I would give back,” Sturdivant said. “We don’t realize how blessed we are until we go into these homes.”
The N.C. Baptist Men will be helping cook on Saturday, according to Lowder. Sponsors for the event include District Attorney Reece Saunders, Sheriff James Clemmons, Senator Tom McInnis, Rep. Ken Goodman, Dr. Cindy Goodman, and former Rockingham Mayor and Senator Gene McLaurin.
Lowder said the event brought out about 200 people in its inaugural year and he expects it to bring out even more thanks to word of mouth.