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The afternoon of Sunday, December 15, might have provided some rain. 

However, it didn’t lessen the mood in Winchester’s Stevenson Heights neighborhood. 

Beginning at 3:00 p.m., the Clark County CHRISTmas Soul Sista’s Free Toy and Food Giveaway took place, welcoming kids from throughout the community to benefit in more ways than one. 

“It’s just something that needs to be done, and I wanted it to be here,” said Lisa McCoy, a local resident who helped organize the event. “It’s just magical.” 

The event took place just outside the residence of Narcissus Burnam. 

“During this holiday, everybody doesn’t have it like they…used to,” said Burnam, who played a crucial role in making the event a possibility. “It has grown to something huge.” 

At the event, a number of toys and more were placed on multiple tables. 

Among them were building blocks, toy cars, Hello Kitty dolls, a pizza party playlist, sticker pad, the Percy Jackson book series, patrol cars, backpacks, sporting equipment such as footballs, toys featuring beloved characters like Spiderman, Super Mario, and Elsa from “Frozen”, and much, much more. 

Kids were given an opportunity to choose a toy, with a line large enough to go down the street. 

Many of the toys had been donated, with South Main Grocery and Grill on South Main Street being a common drop-off location. 

As noted by Burnam, enthusiasm was quite high. 

“We have an abundance,” she said, noting that many toys were placed indoors leading up to the event. “I could not even walk inside…I just kept bagging [them] up and putting [them] on top of each other. We’ve had so many toys, and we still have more. I [have] a friend that had a warehouse sale.” 

Guests were sure not to go home hungry or thirsty either. 

A separate table included pizza, Ale 8, chips, candy, milk, chocolate milk, orange juice, sugar cookies, donuts, and more that attendees could indulge in. 

Plus, with various volunteers around the area dressed as elves, the spirit of giving was freely provided. 

Burnam expressed her thoughts on what she hopes others would remember as Christmas approaches. 

“Share the cheer of Christmas and what it really is, and that’s giving back and making sure everybody feels [like] a part of a family at this time,” she said.