Four years ago, Karla Boudreau was looking for a way to help needy children at Christmastime. 

“In 2020, a lot of local charities were not open because of the health conditions and parameters (of the pandemic),” says Boudreau. Although her family had regularly donated to Adopt a Family, in Woonsocket, that charity shut down during the pandemic. 

“That was devastating to me,” says Boudreau,” It was something that was a meaningful tradition. My sister (Keri Bigness) understood how significant that was, and she suggested we do something on our own. She was the spark.”

The sisters decided to create “Meme’s Stockings,” named for their grandmother.

“Our Meme often spent Christmas mornings with us, because she was a widow,” says Boudreau, “and she absolutely adored a stocking. To her, that was the best gift.”

“With (Keri’s) inspiration, we basically decided that in order for us to help and to make it easy for others to participate, that we would fundraise between friends, family and neighbors and donate to a local charity still operating during the pandemic,” says Boudreau. The sisters’ goal was to create stockings with a few small essential items, some cold weather items and a toy. The two reached out to several local organizations, and the Santa Foundation took the most interest in the idea.

That first year, Keri, who had lots of fabric left over from making homemade masks, sewed 47 stockings.

“We donated those to the Santa Foundation, and they were super appreciative,” says Boudreau. The following year, after a volunteer from the Santa Foundation recognized Boudreau as “the stocking lady,” Karla asked if there was a need. The answer: yes. Boudreau went into action, beginning to fundraise once again. “With very minimal time to organize, I think we more than doubled the collection in the second year,” she says. From that point on, she says, she built a friendship with the Santa Foundation. “Within the last two years, I started engaging more with the community, because I realized I couldn’t sew, and I needed help,” says Boudreau, “So now, this is the awesome part, we not only have local community members here in our town who are sewing, but it has now become a common story that there is a mother-in-law or a friend up in Maine or somebody up on the North Shore or someone all year round who is sewing for me, and there are a few dozen more people cutting out stockings. This year alone, over 1,000 stockings have been cut and created, and I am just one tiny piece of it,” says Boudreau.

Boudreau is excited to have planted this seed, and up until this year, has stuffed nearly every stocking, but now admits she needs a bit of help. She gets student volunteers to help her hand-write notes to the recipients of the stockings, which usually contain a warm hat, gloves, a small toy and usually some sort of educational workbook or craft.

“I feel like I’ve built so many connections and a whole new network of new friends who feel like family members at this point,” says Boudreau, who has officially merged her effort with the Santa Foundation. 

“In the end of the day, my passion and mission align with Mr. Sullivan’s passion and mission. Every child deserves to have a stocking on Christmas, no matter what their circumstances are,” says Boudreau, who says donations for the stockings can be brought directly to the Santa Foundation. At the Santa Foundation’s new location, Boudreau can hold stocking stuffing parties, as well.

Those interested in donating items for stockings can go to www.sfjoy.org and look at the wish list for gifts to find needs for stockings. Boudreau notes that items for kids aged 10-18 are very needed, and items such as decks of cards and origami work well for that group. Boudreau current goal is for every child helped by the Santa Foundation to receive a stocking. Her second goal, someday, is to offer one to Mom or Dad.

And how would her Meme feel about the effort?

“My Dad said this today, ‘Your Meme would be really happy and excited.’ My grandmother didn’t get overly excited about too many things, but I just have to imagine, if she was sitting in a room with a few dozen children opening up a Meme’s stocking, I think it would really touch her heart.”