For three years, Ashley Furniture Homestore has collaborated with the Salvation Army to receive the names of several area children in need around Christmas time.

In this week's Hometown Hero, we found out for each of those years, the employees at the store have been able to host a large Christmas party with food, presents, and even Santa Claus for the children and their families.

"We try to help as many families as we can each year, usually about forty to fifty children," said Stacey Houser, Store Manager.

The employees at Ashley Furniture Homestore are able to give each of the forty or fifty children more than ten gifts each, gifts that may be the only ones each child will receive.

"Our whole entire staff here at Ashley Furniture has just embraced the idea, and everyone in the store looks forward to it," said Houser. "We shop all year round. We look for bargains. We don't have a Christmas party of our own because everyone in the store would rather give to the kids."

They buy them coats, clotheing, and toys, but the presents are not the only things the children receive at the party.

"We collaborated with Flora Templeton Stuart and Country Mill Restaurant, and they provide the meal," said Houser. "We just wanted to have not just giving some gifts to children, we wanted to have a party for them because you know Christmas is supposed to be a happy time for kids."

From playing games, to singing songs and hanging out with Santa Claus, the children always have a fun time.

"This is the first year that I've been involved with this," said Anna Burton, Customer Service Representative. "It was a wonderful experience. It was a wonderful time getting to see the children open their gifts. They wanted to play with everything immediately, and wanted you to get down on the floor and play with them."

"Watching the children open their presents," said Nicole Goad, Sales Consultant. "There were some who didn't have any presents underneath the tree, so they took them home to unwrap for Christmas, and it was really heartbreaking."

After the party, several other families in need contacted the store saying they were too late to get help from other places, and their children had nothing for christmas.

"I had employees who said we'll pull together," said Houser. "We'll do whatever it takes. When my owner found out, he called me and he said, 'You take care of those kids Just let me know because we want them to have Christmas.'"

All employees at the store say this is an event they definitely want to continue in the future.

We honor the staff at Ashley Furniture Homestore as this week's Hometown Heroes.