One of my fondest childhood memories is of how my mother loved
to read Dr. Seuss stories to me. This time of year brought out our
dog-eared copy of Dr. Seuss’
”
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
”
.
One of my fondest childhood memories is of how my mother loved to read Dr. Seuss stories to me. This time of year brought out our dog-eared copy of Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”. The TV version aired this week as it has every Christmas season since 1966, and I was reminded once again of the way the people of Whoville (known as Whos) stuck together through thick and thin.
“Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small, Would stand close together, with Christmas bells ringing. They’d stand hand-in-hand. And the Whos would start singing!”
In a season when it seems like Christmas is in danger of being stolen by the Recession Grinch, there are those working feverishly to bring Christmas toys to all the boys and girls who can’t afford them.
For example, with the help of their parishioners and their Eigleberry Street neighbors, Pleasant Valley Church plans a first annual effort to provide toys for 200 local children.
“The main thrust of our effort is to meet the needs of disadvantaged children,” said Eric Kastle, coordinator of the Christmas gift giveaway. “That’s what we really care about.”
The plan is an ambitious one, especially for a small church with 50 to 80 people filling the seats on Sunday. Their church front is marked only by a simple six-by-two foot yellow banner with the church name printed on it in black ink.
“It’s a huge undertaking for us,” Phil Lanides, church communications director, said of the toy drive. “We don’t have the resources of the big churches.”
I could hear the crinkling sound of wrapping paper in the background through the phone.
“We’re wrapping toys right now,” Kastle said.
“Who is?” I asked.
“The entire church,” he answered.
As he talked, I pictured those Whovilles linking arms and celebrating Christmas in spite of the Grinch’s efforts to steal Christmas.
“Times are tough,” Lanides said. “We want to do what we can to reach out to local families and make things a little easier for them.”
Formerly known as South County Pentecostal, the church is located in the old IOOF building at 7455 Eigleberry St.
“We’re a stone’s throw from Old City Hall, so we are asking local and downtown businesses for help with our effort,” Lanides said.
“Each child is getting a toy no matter what. We are committed to doing our part to reach out in the community,” Lanides added.
The goal is to raise $4,000, and Kastle feels so strongly about it that he is backing the toy drive personally.
“He will pay whatever is needed out of his own pocket,” Lanides said.
The toys will be handed out Dec. 14 when a special Christmas celebration will take place at 10 a.m., replete with puppet show, music, treats, and toys.
I thought of the Grinch again when I saw all the tall empty barrels this week at fire stations across Santa Clara County – bins which would ordinarily be filled with hundreds of toys by now. The fire department told me that we can help by dropping off a new, unwrapped toy at any Gilroy fire station. They collect names of families in need of toys, so they can be distributed locally.
Toys for Tots is a U.S. Marine Corps Reserve charity whose goal is to deliver, through a shiny new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to needy youngsters and to unite members of local communities in a common cause. Toys for Tots also supports a literacy program in which each $1 donation buys a book for a needy child.
Gilroy’s Doug Franklin has pitched in to personally collect Toys for Tots. He is throwing a barbecue at his ranch across from Rucker Elementary School Saturday and invited folks to stop by and donate a new, unwrapped toy to the Toys for Tots campaign. While there, kids can also visit his alpacas and goats.
It would take many pages to describe all the December deeds of generosity bringing toys to children throughout our community for a merry Christmas. I have named only a couple of examples of the ways in which working together we can spread more Christmas cheer than any of us could accomplish on our own. In the words of my mom, “There’s always enough when you share!”
The Grinch doesn’t have a prayer.
