Texas Tech University Athletics
Trinity's Basketball Blessing
November 09, 2011 | Men's Basketball
Trinity Church purchased 400 Texas Tech basketball tickets to use in their `Christmas Blessing' program.
Nov. 9, 2011
by Britton Drown
Texas Tech Athletics Communications
The room is quiet. Boxes piled upon one another stand in separate corners; banners hang amongst the walls with bible verses printed in decorative and cheerful writing.
Alone in the room, it doesn't take long for Winnifer Yandell to bring it all to life.
She strolls throughout the clutter, excitedly describing how she is yet again going to use the hundreds upon hundreds of donated items--candy, toys and dolls--scattered everywhere to make Christmas possible for as many as 250 Lubbock families.
Yandell, the Trinity Outreach Center Coordinator, and her ministry simply call the project, which is in its 15th year, their `Christmas Blessing'.
"It's just an amazing ministry," she says with a smile.
 | "When we do the tickets for the kids we make sure that we have enough for the whole family to attend the game. That kind of becomes a day out for them, so the whole family can enjoy it together." - Winnifer Yandell |
But inside this room, it's about creating a true Christmas for the children of those families.
It's a year-long project, but with the help of about 400 volunteers, including students from the Trinity Christian School, the preparations for this year's `Christmas Blessing' are almost complete.
"For a lot of kids, this is the only Christmas present that they get." Yandell says.
Each of the families that attend the Trinity Outreach Center's University Campus on Dec. 17 will receive a carefully crafted shoebox filled with the donated toys and candy. The shoeboxes are personalized to each child with their name printed on the outside, and Yandell hopes the box will become a special gift itself.
"Hopefully it is filled with toys and candy that they will really enjoy," Yandell said. "We try to make it pretty, and something they can hold on to."
Inside many of those shoeboxes will be another treat--tickets to the Texas Tech men's basketball game against Cal-State Bakersfield on Dec. 27. Yandell and the Trinity Outreach Center purchased 400 tickets for the game to use as gifts for the families.
"We were really excited that we were able to purchase 400 tickets this year so that we can send more families to the game." Yandell said.
Trinity has included basketball tickets in for six years, but this year marks the most they have ever donated.
"When we do the tickets for the kids we make sure that we have enough for the whole family to attend the game," Yandell said. "That kind of becomes a day out for them, so the whole family can enjoy it together."
During their blessing on Dec. 17, Trinity Outreach will provide a breakfast and lunch to families in attendance, along with their donations of food and shoeboxes. Meanwhile, each `Christmas Box' from the Trinity Outreach Center food bank contains about 200-pounds of food.
"The families need to come with an empty trunk," she said with a laugh. "Because we load them up with food for the holidays."
Fans who wish purchase tickets to the Cal-State Bakersfield game on Dec. 27 can do for just $1 by going to TexasTech.com/tickets or by calling the ticket office at (806) 742-4412.
