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Mike Barnhardt

Enterprise Record

Enka D’Amore-Yncera knows what it’s like to be that single mother who, at this time of year, begins to worry.

The children, of course, begin to get excited about Christmas at this time of the year.

Parents struggling financially begin to worry about paying for those presents.

She’s in a better place now, and wants to do her part to help local families provide presents for their children this Christmas.

A newcomer to Davie County, Enka was looking at a Facebook message when someone asked about a Marine Cops Reserve Toys for Tots program in Davie County. There wasn’t one. She didn’t let it go, and began an investigation.

Davie County hadn’t participated in Toys for Tots since 2018, when the coordinator then pretty much aged out of the position. She made it her mission to change that.

But it takes more than collecting toys. To be a coordinator, she was required to attend three days of training, where she interacted with other coordinators, some who have been at it for years.

“It was a great three days to feed off of each others’ ideas,” she said. “The main thing was to learn to do the financial part properly, just learning from the coordinators who have been doing this for 30 years.”

Many business owners probably have met Enka already. She’s been out and about, introducing herself and trying to get the word out about Toys for Tots.

The biggest need right now is a space to collect, and then distribute toys, preferably a storefront or small warehouse with easy accessibility. They would need it until the first or second week in January, she said.

“This is a community willing to help somebody. Thisis the best community to do this in,” she said.

The boxes will start appearing in stores soon, ready for folks to drop in new toys to be distributed at Christmas. Money will also be accepted, to make last-minute shopping trips for gifts for a certain age group that may not have had enough toys donated.

Her goal is to distribute the toys on Dec. 18.

One thing is for sure. She doesn’t want any parent to go through what she did, counting what little money was left on Christmas Eve before going to buy whatever she could.

“It’s a way for my teacher’s heart to do something for children, because I’ve been that mom – that single mom – who wondered what could I put under the tree.”

To volunteer or make a donation, contact D’Amore-Yncera at 860-518-4916 or visit mocksville-nc@toysfortots.org.