When you think of the faces of the homeless, what is your vision?
How about a nine-year-old?
That’s the average age of a homeless person in Hampton Roads. And it’s why NewsChannel 3 is Taking Action with Operation Christmas List.
You will see no evidence on Katrina Freeman’s smiling face that two years ago she walked into the same shelter in the same shoes as the families she now works so hard to help get back on their feet.
“It’s an amazing journey. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I love working with the families here,” she says.
Katrina is now the Resource Coordinator for the shelter and can speak from experience what it’s like to be homeless and feel helpless.
“I felt really bad. I didn’t have the money, I didn’t have the resources, and when you all reached out to me to help my family, I felt a lot better about myself,” she says.
NewsChannel 3 viewers responded to our annual call to help the shelter kids during the holidays and Katrina shared her Christmas pictures from when her boys opened their presents on Christmas Day.
“The help I received from you all, for my children, was a blessing,” she says. “When I saw my children opening up their items, it brought a tear to my eye because I couldn't afford to get those things for them.”
So now, the mom who had nothing two years ago, has gone from homeless to lending a helping hand. And she wants everyone to know her testimony – that Operation Christmas List makes a difference to shelter kids.
“It gives them that joy back that they lost when they came into the shelter. That’s what I felt – joy. My kids were able to celebrate the holiday,” Katrina says.
Paying it forward is what Operation Christmas List is all about. And also making sure no child wakes up Christmas Day without a toy of their own.
