The first time Will met Kelly Markiewicz, she walked into Cathy’s House (Recovery Housing in Medina County, Ohio) with a box full of red Christmas stockings. He picked one up and wondered why it was so heavy. Inside were socks, toothbrushes, full-size deodorant, and a Big Book. On this episode of Recovery Unfiltered with Nick and Will, Kelly tells us how those stockings came to be and how Stockings from Victor became our THIRD Season One Spotlight Nonprofit.

Kelly takes us back to when Victor was in recovery and asked her to bring extra supplies for the guys who had no one bringing them anything. She talks about loving him through his heroin addiction, the ways she tried to protect him, and how counseling and an art project made from his recovery workbooks helped her grieve after he died. When she remembers Victor, she remembers how quick he was to think of the person who might go without.

What started as a Christmas drive now brings hygiene products, socks, and other essentials to people in recovery at 22 facilities across Northeast Ohio. We talk about what it means to get a gift filled with things you can actually use, especially when you’re spending the holidays away from family. Somewhere between Charlie Brown and talk of putting reindeer antlers on the delivery truck, Kelly leaves us with a message for anyone going through a dark time. “Don’t give up on yourself because life is worth it.”

For this year’s Christmas drive, Kelly shares her goal of raising $8,000 by December 12 to help fill more than 800 stockings. It costs about $10 to fill one. If you’d like to help, you can donate or share the drive using the links below.

Connect with Stockings from Victor

• Website — https://stockingsfromvictor.org/
• Ways to donate — https://stockingsfromvictor.org/ways-to-donate/
• Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/stockingsfromvictor/
• Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/stockingsfromvictor

Want to join us as a guest for Season Two in 2027? Email therecoveryunfilteredpodcast@gmail.com.

Listener discretion advised. This episode discusses substance use and the death of a loved one.

Music licensed through Soundstripe.

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