GILROY
– ‘Tis the season to spread good cheer to the less fortunate.
Local charitable organizations are hoping to keep some of the
momentum gained from Thanksgiving donations to bolster them through
Christmas and on into the winter months.
By Lori Stuenkel
GILROY – ‘Tis the season to spread good cheer to the less fortunate. Local charitable organizations are hoping to keep some of the momentum gained from Thanksgiving donations to bolster them through Christmas and on into the winter months.
“We’re asking for donations. Either monetary, or we have food and toy barrels out there,” said Christine Flautt, Salvation Army advisory council chairperson.
The Salvation Army will collect canned food, new, unwrapped toys, clothing, and blankets or bottled water during the KSBW 17th Annual Share Your Holiday telethon that will broadcast from Nob Hill Foods in Gilroy Dec. 12.
“That’s our big event coming up,” Flautt said.
The telethon, which will also broadcast from five other Nob Hill locations, will air from 6:50 a.m. to 8 p.m. on KSBW 8.
Gilroyans can also help by volunteering at the event. Jobs will include collecting donations and money, ringing bells at donation kettles or loading donations onto trucks.
The Salvation Army also distributed 40 barrels to Gilroy businesses – 20 to collect nonperishable food donations and 20 for toys for newborns to children age 12. They will be collected on Dec. 11.
Toy donations should be new and unwrapped. The organization is particularly looking for toys for boys and girls ages 8 to 12.
“We have a lot of younger-kid toys,” Flautt said. “It’s the older children that we’re kind of low on.”
Flautt suggested make-up kits for girls and handheld games or sports equipment for boys.
Holiday foods that were called for last week are again needed for Christmas food boxes, especially canned vegetables and fruit, boxed mashed potatoes, cereal, powdered milk, canned yams, rice, beans, baby food, soup, gravy, salt and sugar.
“We’re still in need of turkeys; we’re always in need of money,” Flautt said.
Flautt said she has fewer than 70 turkeys and needs about 200 more. Turkeys or hams should be brought directly to the Salvation Army, 200 Fifth St., from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
“Donations are looking pretty good,” she said. “It’s as organized as you can get when you do this stuff. We just don’t know how many families will need food boxes.”
Flautt said she hopes to have boxes for about 250 families. The boxes will be packed on Dec. 13 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Salvation Army. Volunteers interested in helping that day or with the toy and food box distribution on Dec. 18 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. should contact the Salvation Army.
Bell ringers at donation kettles are also needed through Dec. 24. Ringers can work a two-hour shift or cover a whole day, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Kettle locations include Nob Hill, Target, Wal-Mart and Safeway in Gilroy.
The Adopt-a-Family for Christmas program is under way, and Flautt said that any interested sponsors should contact her by Thursday so the family can receive their packages in time for Christmas.
By adopting a family, individuals or businesses provide gifts for each family member, as well as a holiday meal.
“We have a good range of adoptees,” Flautt said. “I’ve gotten a lot of new people, too. It’s great.”
So far, 32 families have been adopted.
If out and about in Gilroy, there will likely be frequent reminders that giving is better than receiving. Besides the Salvation Army barrels, the organization has an “angel tree” at South Valley National Bank, at 8000 Santa Teresa Blvd. Similar “giving trees” distributed by Community Solutions are in Morgan Hill at City Hall and South Valley National Bank at 500 Tennant Station.
Tags on the trees provide information about a needy child, such as name, age, sex and a gift suggestion. Simply detach a tag and return an unwrapped gift to the tree by Dec. 12.
At Saint Joseph’s Family Center, food and volunteers are still in high demand. The center gave away hundreds of food boxes last week and will provide about 600 more on Dec. 20.
“We’re doing good, but we are certainly, from here to the 20th, looking for those donations and participation from the community,” Director David Cox said.
Any holiday foods will be collected at the center, 7950 Church St., from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Saint Joseph’s currently has about 150 turkeys.
“Everything from turkey and hams to traditional holiday food items would be warmly welcomed and warmly received,” Cox said.
The organization is also collecting new, unwrapped toys for children 12 and under.
In conjunction with local churches, Saint Josephs will distribute from First Baptist Church the food boxes and toys from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 20. Volunteers are needed to help hand out items, set up the room, wrap gifts and clean up afterward.
The Lord’s Table, also run by Saint Joseph’s, will continue to serve free, hot meals three times weekly to fill hungry stomachs. An all-out Christmas feast also will be served. Volunteers who would like to prepare or serve a meal on Tuesdays, Thursdays or Sundays should contact Saint Joseph’s.
Food donations are always needed, said Sue Moon, coordinator for the Lord’s Table, but people should call or stop by to find out what is in demand at the moment.
“Right now, we need turkeys. Turkeys are a big thing, even though we just got finished collecting turkeys and hams,” she said.
The center recently completed a blanket drive and is now in search of white cotton socks for men, women and children. Socks can also be dropped off at Saint Joseph’s, Moon said.
The Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots also has barrels located all over Gilroy, including inside City Hall and the Premium Outlets, to collect trinkets for children 16 and under.
“We’re looking for new, unwrapped toys. If anything, we’re trying to put a special emphasis on kids 12 and older because we seem to be a little short on toys for those children,” said Gina Six, manager of Cochrane Self Storage and coordinator for Toys for Tots in the south county.
Some barrels will be collected before Christmas but others will remain until after the holiday.
For a complete listing of barrel locations that is updated regularly, visit www.yourmorganhill.com. To volunteer to help sort the toys, contact Six at el***@yo************.com or call 782-8883.
HOW TO HELP THOSE IN NEED
Community Solutions
needs: toys, non-perishable food items, diapers, blankets
how: “Giving trees” located at Morgan Hill City Hall and South Valley National Bank, 500 Tenant Station, Morgan Hill
contact: Alice, 776-6232. For the Adopt-a-Family program, call Sherry at 776-6280.
San Martin Neighborhood Alliance
needs: nonperishable food, toys
how: bring to San Martin Christmas Tree Farm, main entrance at 13856 Monterey Road
contact: Connie, 683-2368 or 683-2055
The Salvation Army
needs: nonperishable food items, toys, volunteers, cash
how: 40 food and toy donation barrels distributed around Gilroy, locations include: Garlic City Coffee and Tea, Grocery Outlet, Goldsmith Seeds, Gilroy Health and Fitness, various churches, Rod Kelley, Antonio Del Buono, El Roble and Luigi Aprea elementary schools donation kettles
“Angel tree” at South Valley Bank, 8000 Santa Teresa Blvd.
Adopt-a-Family for Christmas program
contact: Christine Flautt, 842-6745
Saint Joseph’s Family Center
needs: holiday food items, toys, volunteers, cash
how: bring items to Saint Joseph’s, 7950 Church St.
contact: David or Jacqui, 842-6662
The Lord’s Table
needs: holiday food items, volunteers, socks
how: bring items to Saint Joseph’s
contact: Sue or Jacqui, 842-6662
Toys For Tots
needs: unwrapped toys
how: barrels around Gilroy, including City Hall, 7351 Rosanna St.
contact: Gina or Terry, 782-8883
