Volunteers at Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton make stockings for babies born around Christmas.
Charlotte Roberts is one of those volunteers and spearheads the enterprise.
“This is an example of the stockings that are made and they're a pretty good size. So unless we have a big one, a big baby, they'll fit into these stockings,” she said. She makes them out of flannel and has been doing this for about ten years.
Charlotte hand-makes the stockings to give to the newborns but has yet to see the magic happen in person.
“Oh, it's fun. I've never seen a mother with the baby in the stocking leaving the hospital,” Roberts admitted. She is a volunteer and the front desk supervisor at Twin Cities Community Hospital. She tells people where to go.
Every baby born in December gets a stocking and a hat.
Kelleigh Sorenson, a charge nurse, said, “We have approximately so far in December…we have about 40 babies that will be enjoying these wonderful stockings and the hats.”
Sorenson told us how parents feel about the stockings. “They always get super emotional and so tearful, actually, to see their little babies in the little stocking,” she said.
Last year, the volunteers were not able to come to the hospital and bring the stockings. However, this time around, each gift is quarantined for three days before making it to a newborn.
KSBY was able to be there when Charlotte finally met one of the babies who received a stocking. It was an emotional moment.
“Seeing a baby in the stocking. So touching, I'm just so happy to see that,” Roberts told KSBY.
Roberts sews a little tag on the stocking that says, “made by volunteers.”
“And during when COVID first started, we didn't get the hats, and it was really a disappointment because our patients have always really loved them a variety of colors, shapes and sizes for our tiny babies and for our larger babies,” said Sorenson.
The hospital volunteers work all year round to help the patients and the hospital staff.
“They [volunteers] donate these to the gift shop and we sell them here and hats. We have lots of hats. The newborns get hats upstairs in the lobby, and all the money that we raise here in the gift shop goes to promote Cuesta College medical scholarships,” Bert Twisselman, the gift shop manager and another volunteer, explained.
“The staff is terrific. We're all neighbors. So please, if you have time, come and be a volunteer at twin,” said Wilma Breig, the President of the volunteers.
People can call (805)-441-2701 to inquire about volunteering in a myriad of roles.
Volunteers create all sorts of gifts for people at the shop, but the newborns receive the stockings and hats for free.
“They have stockings in every baby's crib, and so every family has the option. If they want to disregard it and pass it on that they're welcome to do so. We've never had a patient not want the stocking,” said Sorenson.
According to the hospital, they were not able to host the volunteers last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but this year the hospital is now hosting 27 active volunteers to help spread the Christmas cheer.
