Children of veterans and Albany County inmates receive Christmas gifts

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) - Victory Christian Church in Albany, with the support of Pastor Charlie Muller, organized a Christmas gift distribution program for families of children whose parents are veterans. Additionally, the church extended its assistance to families of incarcerated individuals. Families interested in receiving the gifts signed up and collected their presents on Saturday.

Pastor Charlie Muller of the Victory Christian Church started the new community program this year for the certain group of kids. Pastor Charlie Muller said its an extension of a unique holiday tradition the church does with locally incarcerated people.

"There is prisoners or inmates in the Albany County Jail; their kids always suffer, " Pastor Charlie Muller said. "We started like three years ago giving stockings and we thought, well, you know, what about their kids."

The program connects with Toys for Tots and supplies about 2,000 children, who are in groups homes or whose parents need extra help, with a big bag of presents.

"We really try to give the kids in the group homes who really have no families or broken-down homes, we try to give them 16 [gifts]," Pastor Charlie Muller said. "We try to give them a Christmas that speaks to their lives at 14 or 13."

On Saturday alone, about 100 caregivers, spouses, family members, and friends picked up for kids who would not otherwise have any gifts to open on Christmas.

"I think it helps the parents to help them appreciate and help them to have an extension of support and with this time of inflation and everything," one grandma picking up for her daughter said. "Christmas is supposed to be about Christ, but with giving them a gift, I am sure they will be happy, and their parents will be happy if they are happy."

Pastor Charlie Muller said the need is a lot greater this year and that projects like this have already helped parents make ends meet.

"We want to make sure, that is why we don't have the kids come here, that the gifts come from mom and dad and not us," Pastor Charlie Muller said.

Bags of gifts were also dropped off on the doorsteps of those who signed up for the program and are unable to pick up the gifts.