Last December when I asked our local community for help with collecting toys for children in need, a man I had never met named Bob suddenly appeared and donated three big bags of brand new toys for the Toy Giveaway Christmas Event taking place on Dec. 20 to benefit children in need.
Bob had read my Dec. 7, 2012, column about the Toy Giveaway Event planned for children of migrant families, some of the most low-income families in Gilroy. As he was leaving, he turned, and “laying a finger aside of his nose” (to quote Clement Clark Moore’s “A Visit From St. Nicholas”) he asked if there was anything else other than toys that we could use.
“It would be really helpful to have small bottles of water for the children,” I replied.
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.
Less than 30 minutes later, Bob was back, his sleigh loaded with five cases of water for us!
Our initial hope last year was to inspire a total donation of 30 more toys beyond the 50 promised to us by the Univision Radio Station, who helped sponsor this event.
The first indication of what was to come was a woman who called after reading the article. The woman, whose name is Marilyn, said she wanted to be a part of the effort in some way. However, she had broken her hip and would not be able to come down and volunteer the way she’d like.
When I met her and her husband Lionel, they told me about recently retiring to Gilroy from Morgan Hill.
“We love it here,” Marilyn said. “We have the best neighbors, so kind and caring. We all help each other.”
You should have seen the look of surprise on my face when she handed me a check that would provide enough for a meal of tamales for the children and their families.
Other donations began to come in each day. Toys appeared on my doorstep. Then this message arrived from an angel named Alice of Products Plus, Inc.
“Hello, I was inquiring about the Migrant Toy Drive for 2012 in Gilroy. Has this already taken place and have the toys been distributed? Please advise.”
Products Plus is a local wholesale distributor of consumer electronic products. They began a tradition last year of having a one-day warehouse sale in which they sell off their samples and small inventories of product to the public. They take all of the profits from this sale, and the entire staff goes to shop locally for toys that are given to local charities for Christmas.
You should have seen everyone’s faces when Alice arrived with an entire carload of toys! Literally, every nook and cranny of her car was overflowing with brand new, unwrapped toys.
Thanks to the generosity of our community and the way you truly care, I have faith that this year’s party is going to a great benefit to these families who work so hard to provide food for others but have so little themselves. I have no doubt that once again, thanks to you, these families will receive blankets, jackets, food, toys, and most importantly, love.
Last year, the Odd Fellows Gilroy Lodge No. 154 provided gift cards for families to get food through the winter, and Paul and Dan Pardue collected donations at Pacheco Pass Self-Storage to provide books, clothes, blankets, and gifts for families.
Dec. 20 will be filled with joyous smiles of anticipation, the aroma of chocolate chip cookies, the sound of Santa ringing his bell as he arrives, and palpable excitement in the air for children from ages 1 to 17. This will be an unforgettable experience of joy for these children.
This is the power of the press for good; this is the power of word-of-mouth, and this is the power of the connections we have with each other. As horrible as the news of shootings, train derailments, and natural disasters has been lately, this is the good that we hold onto.
This is what makes Christmas for me: on Nov. 22, Lionel and Marilyn, not even knowing if there would be a Toy Giveaway taking place again this year, sent a check for $450 to kick off the drive for providing toys and food this winter for children who have none.
This kind of faith is the power of good to overcome evil in the world, the power of justice to overcome injustice, the power of generosity to overcome inequity. This is the collective light that will always burn brighter than anything else.
To contribute or find out more about this year’s Toy Giveaway, call Kat at (408) 607-2442.
