CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Every month, Lessie Hoffman drops off dozens of birthday presents at the family protective services building.
Those presents go to kids around the Coastal Bend who are in foster care.
“Each month we get a list of those six weeks out,” said Hoffman.
She says it started with a woman named Sarah who attended Parkway Presbyterian Church and worked with Child Protective Services.
“After she retired she bought the birthday gifts every month,” said Hoffman.
Each month she received a list of foster kids' names, whose birthdays were coming up.
That way, no children blew out candles without at least one present.
Then, Sarah passed away.
But, Hoffman said her legacy lived on.
“She did it every month and that was told at her memorial service,” said Hoffman. “And at that point somebody says ‘oh we've got to continue that as a memorial to Sarah’,” said Hoffman.
Now, Hoffman has taken up the charge and has turned it into a group effort.
Every month she asks members of the Parkway Presbyterian Church congregation to volunteer to buy a gift for a foster child.
“And different ones sign up to buy gifts every month,” said Hoffman.
“It's been a success for Hoffman, and she says they're not slowing down anytime soon.
“We call this our ‘Project Sarah's Kids’,” said Hoffman.
If you'd also like to help foster kids around the Coastal Bend, by providing birthday gifts you can reach out to Monica Alaniz at 361-878-3561.