Clay has worked with the Lubbock Salvation Army for 19 years, and the need still surprises her. "Every year I'm very shocked at how many families really are in need," she said. The program can't take everybody, but staff process the families they have and get them the best available things so kids have a Christmas morning where they are remembered.
Wish lists vary. Clay has seen children ask for Barbies and video games, and sometimes just clothes, while some moms ask only for basics like diapers. Clay said it always breaks her heart.
The money and the gifts behind the program come from donors, and Clay said it doesn't happen without them. "There's no way that I would be able to budget for, say, 500 children for Christmas," she said. Folks in Lubbock keep filling that gap, and Clay said people here always come out in great support.
Her read on the city is short: "They don't want anyone suffering."