In a year of obstacles and heartbreak, a Charlotte mom finds hope for the holidays

It’s been a challenging year for Elizabeth Taylor and her three sons.

In November 2022, the Charlotte native and single mom lost her job. She had worked 10 years as a community service representative/manager for a local arcade, when it closed down permanently. Then, things got worse for the 37-year-old.

Since January, she has mourned a series of unexpected deaths, including the loss of her beloved 19-year-old cousin to gun violence. Several family members have dealt with debilitating health issues, property loss or a need for emergency medical care. That includes her father, who was in a serious car accident in October that sent him to the hospital for more than a week with broken ribs and a punctured lung.

Taylor, who is her dad’s only family in the area, spent that time shuttling back and forth between home and hospital. She’d get her kids to bed, spend the night at the hospital then return in the morning to take her sons to school.

After that, her father stayed with Taylor and her children for about a month to further recover. Taylor, who has worked part-time jobs on-and-off since she lost her arcade position, had to temporarily stop work in order to manage his care.

Earlier this year, Taylor also went through a serious depression, devastated by the deaths in her family and worried about how she would pay her bills while raising her boys, 17-year-old Amari, Alijah, age 12, and 6-year-old Legend.

What’s more, her mom and younger sisters, whom she considers her main support system, recently moved out of Charlotte. She and her boys lived with them for a decade.

“I’ve finally gotten to a place where I can get myself together,” Taylor said, “and try to keep going because I have to for my kids.”

She’s also finding support this holiday season through The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte’s annual Angel Tree program for presents for her kids.

They are among the thousands of Charlotte-area children who will receive gifts of clothes and toys under the Christmas tree again this year, thanks to contributors to The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte’s annual Angel Tree program. In cases where donors don’t step up, Charlotte Observer readers cover the expense by giving to the Empty Stocking Fund, which the Observer has sponsored since about 1920.

Taylor said the Angel Tree program will enable her to have something under the Christmas tree besides hand-me-downs for her two youngest kids.

“I have three boys, so I keep stuff from the last one… But as far as without that, this year, I probably wouldn’t be able to do much of anything because I’ve been out of work, and the money that I do make goes towards bills.”

Alijah and Legend have both asked for toy Orbeez guns that shoot gel water beads. Legend is also hoping for a scooter or a new bike.

How Empty Stocking Fund helps families

Last season, Observer readers donated $164,526 to the campaign that helps provide gifts for kids, as well as senior citizens and people with disabilities.

Money raised by the 2022 Empty Stocking Fund campaign allowed The Salvation Army to buy 12,000 toys for this year’s campaign, along with gift cards for seniors, foster children and adults with disabilities, Salvation Army officials said.

The 2023 Angel Tree program will help about 4,000 families in Mecklenburg and Union counties, representing at least 5,500 children. And the program is providing gift cards to at least 1,500 seniors and 400 people with disabilities.

In 2022, the program served 2,607 families representing 6,662 children, officials said. The effort also served 1,715 seniors and provided 407 gift cards for foster children and individuals with disabilities, according to Salvation Army figures.

Family traditions around Christmas

In a typical year, Taylor said she likes to do a big Christmas celebration with extended family.

Usually on the menu are traditional favorites like ham, macaroni and cheese, and sweet potatoes. But this year, Taylor said there’s talk of changing it up with a Mexican food theme.

There are games and music, ranging from Christmas Carols to the kids favorite dance hits. And nearly the whole family — from the youngest to the oldest — joins in for a round of Cupid Shuffle line dancing.

‘You got to have faith’

Things are starting to get better, Taylor said.

She currently has a part time job as a Spark Driver, handling delivery and returns for customers of Walmart and other retail outlets.

“Doing this delivery for Walmart has been getting me through,” she said. Taylor is up to date on her rent and is working to get caught up on her electric bill.

She recently received a job offer for an Amazon warehouse position, which would allow for a more consistent salary. The proposed schedule is the only hitch, since her availability is limited while raising a young child. But if it doesn’t work out, she plans to keep looking.

After months of worrying about how she was going to cover her expenses, she’s feeling more hopeful.

God always makes a way, she said. “Something that I’ve learned through all of this is you got to have faith and just no matter what, you know, God has the last say… It’s not always about what we have planned.”

How to donate

To donate online, visit Empty Stocking Fund CLT.org.

To donate by mail, send checks to: The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte, PO Box 31128, Charlotte NC 28231. Make checks payable to The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte and write “Empty Stocking Fund” in the memo line.

These are the latest donors to The Charlotte Observer’s Empty Stocking Fund