Tullabee in West Town Mall chooses Empty Stocking Fund as its charity recipient and you can help

Devarrick Turner, Knoxville News Sentinel
Updated ·3 min read

Making sure that families can share a holiday meal together is News Sentinel Charities Empty Stocking Fund’s mission. And a children’s clothing store is helping us meet that goal through a special partnership this year.

The Tullabee store in West Town Mall has chosen our Empty Stocking Fund as the recipient of its weekly charitable donation program Mission Monday. Ten percent of all Monday sales will be donated to the Empty Stocking Fund. The donations will run through Dec. 12.

“Everybody knows about the News Sentinel and that they go that extra mile and do something other than just the paper,” Tullabee store leader Kristine McAlvin told Knox News.

“Our goal this Christmas was to fight hunger and help to give gifts to children during the season and for the holidays,” she continued. “So (Empty Stocking Fund) just lined up perfectly with what I was looking for.”

McAlvin likes to sponsor charities helping children and families because Tullabee is a children’s clothing store. This is the first time Empty Stocking Fund has been selected, and it’s the only organization being sponsored this term. Recent recipients include Second Harvest Food, Boys & Girls Club and Pregnancy Resource Center.

It’s always an emotional moment when charity leaders come in to receive the donations.

“Usually, the partners will come in and they'll be crying, and they'll be like ‘Wow! Thank you so much,” McAlvin said. “I feel like it really makes a big impact.”

The West Town Mall Tullabee location was the first children’s store opened by the flagship company, Altar’d State, a national clothing brand with its headquarters in Maryville.

Mission Mondays are part of Altar’d State’s “stand out for good” mission, which aims to inspire and empower others by giving back. Store leaders for each store choose which charities they want to support.

As customers shop in Tullabee on Mondays, McAlvin will inform them that 10% of what they spend will be donated to the Empty Stocking Fund. Posted signs will give details about the charity.

Who does Empty Stocking Fund serve each year?

  • 3,000 baskets were distributed by the Empty Stocking Fund last year to East Tennessee families experiencing food insecurity.

  • 41% of the households served have a monthly income of $833 or less.

  • Volunteers deliver 400 baskets to homebound families. About 1,200 community members pick up their boxes on our distribution day and the rest get theirs from community centers or local distributions sites.

  • Recipients live in 20 East Tennessee counties, but the bulk of our distribution (65%) is in Knox County. Families are spread geographically throughout the county.

Empty Stocking Fund is 100% volunteer-run, and all donations go toward providing meals for families. More information and a donation page is available at esfknox.org.

If you’d like to donate, monthly gifts can be set up on the Empty Stocking Fund website, checks can be mailed to 2332 News Sentinel Drive, Knoxville TN 37921.

Our president, Knox News executive editor Joel Christopher, is happy to talk about the benefits of corporate donations. Please contact him at joel.christopher@knoxnews.com.

Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email devarrick.turner@knoxnews.com. Twitter @dturner1208.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Altar’d State children’s store Tullabee supports Empty Stocking Fund