Hundreds receive free Christmas gifts through local woman's efforts

Connie Cashion poses with just a few of the items she gave away to Callaway's families in need during her annual free Christmas event at the John C. Harris Community Center in Fulton. Cashion, better known as "Miss Connie," collects clothes, games, hygeine products, furniture and other items year round to give away to those in need, and began holding a larger giveaway at the end of the year to commemorate the holiday season. Photo by Dean Asher.

By Dean Asher

Sunday, December 23, 2012

“Miss Connie” Cashion wears many hats in Callaway County, whether she’s helping Anne Erbschloe with The Soup Kitchen or collecting donated clothes, toys, furniture and more to drive around and deliver year-round to the county’s homeless or those in need.

But on Friday, she donned a Santa hat and made sure 345 people had a Christmas worth remembering.

Cashion gave almost two large storage sheds worth of items, collected throughout the year for her other philanthropic endeavors, to low-income families at her annual Christmas give-away.

Families gathered at the John C. Harris Community Center in Fulton, where they received a gift bag full of treats and a free meal before being allowed in the adjoining room where the gifts waited. Parents were at first allowed to take as much or as little as they needed before kids could enter and take items to give as gifts to parents, grandparents and others — and eventually a gift for themselves.

“My idea is don’t wait for somebody to help you,” said Cashion. “You should be taking your excess and helping somebody else. We’re a nation of excess, we have way too much stuff. My idea is to take your stuff, clean it up and help your neighbor. We’ll help somebody else with it.”

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Sherwood3 4 months, 3 weeks ago

So very proud to say this is my mom! She works all year round collecting for this event. Through the gracious donations of people in the community we are able to put this event on. There is no funding from City, State or Government but yet God still makes it possible. Its a true testament of people showing good will toward their fellow man. We have drove as far as Columbia collecting toys that were donated. She has been reaching out to those in need as long as I can remember. She even had my son start helping her when he first started forming sentences. Mom has always instilled in us that we should always try and help others. You never know when you might be in that same situation. No one person is less important and money does not make the person but character does. Thank you Mom for teaching me these lessons so that I may pass them on to my child.

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