Three East Texas moms put stockings together for 40 NICU moms

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - Three East Texas moms are giving Stocking of Hope to mothers with NICU children at Tyler’s Christus Trinity Mother Frances Hospital.

East Texas News spoke with the mothers as they put together 40 stockings to hand out to NICU families.

Katie, Jennifer, and Jamye collected donations to sponsor and support NICU moms this holiday season. All three mothers experienced premature deliveries.

They said they want to continue proving hope to mothers and families in the NICU.

“Being able to give such a great amount makes me feel really good and excited. It’s been a blessing for me, and we know exactly what it’s like because we were there years ago,” said Jamye Read, one of the mothers.

At first, the moms were nervous about collecting donations. However, with an increased amount of support from the community, they reached their goal of 40 stockings.

“We know that coming together as NICU moms and putting these things together for them is going to be so special for them. It makes our hearts so full of joy to be able to do this and give back,” said Jennifer Rasberry, a mother.

Items included in this year’s stockings include, lotion, snacks, gift cards, and more.

“If we could just take one thing off their plate, that’s what we feel called to do,” Katie Skinner, a mother, said.

Skinner said the monetary donations were doubled this year. Over 50 people donated to this year’s cause and because of that, more items were included in this year’s stockings.

“There’s no way that we could’ve blessed this many people without the help of our friends, and families and some people after the first segment, that they watched, sent us money,” Skinner said. “We could not do this without them. It’s not just us blessing them; it’s a whole community coming together to bless the NICU moms.”

Eight years ago, Micah Read was admitted into the NICU for three and a half months. Today, he said he’s thankful.

“Thank you for help donating for the babies like me, and merry Christmas,” Micah said.

In the future, the moms hope to expand this project with a goal to provide stockings for hope outside of the Tyler area.

The three moms will be delivering stockings Monday morning at 11 a.m. to Tyler’s Christus Trinity Mother Frances Hospital.

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