Toy giveaway grows with new donations
MEL TOADVINE Lines like this waiting in the parking lot of Lehigh Community Services for the agency’s toy and food giveaway last week. The line formed at 2 p.m. and ended at 4 p.m. with hundreds of toys given away to children and their families in Lehigh.
Hundreds of families, some with younger children with them, lined a section of the parking lot to get free toys and food for the holidays at the rear of Lehigh Community Services on Plaza Drive in Lehigh.
The toy giveaway by Lehigh Community Services was to began at 2 p.m. and continue to 4 p.m. Lines of families lasted for the entire two-hour period and agency Executive Director Rae Nicely said the crowd of children to get free toys had passed the 300 mark and may reach 350 or more.
“We had more toys given to us over the past week,” Nicely said as she sat at a table in the parking lot taking care and checking IDs of those who pre qualified to received toys for their children. Guidelines were used using family income figures.
In addition, food was also passed out, Nicely said.
“Sav-A-Lot provided almost 200 holiday bags of food for our clients and provided gifts for 20 children that we registered for Christmas,” Nicely said.
MEL TOADVINE Cesar Alexander Paredes, 3, holds his new stuffed animal, a gift he was given by Lehigh Community Services last Friday. With him is his mother, Ana Lilia Vazquez.
“And we received a large supply of frozen food, so much that our six freezers couldn’t contain them,” she said.
“Thanks to Zach Berard from Save-A-Lot for allowing us to use partial space in their walk-in cooler for much of the food. He has done this before and they truly make a difference in our community.
“They provide a less expensive place to shop for groceries and continue to support community activities in a big way,” Nicely said.
With the additional food and toys from Sav-A-Lot and other organizations in the community, Nicely said that also meant more toys and they planned to give away toys until they ran out.
To make the Christmas giveaway program work, it takes volunteer and certain plans to make the giveaway possible. Without having the toys all in separate bags and ready for those receiving them, volunteers for the past two weeks have been packing bags of toys, right up to the event on Dec. 18.
MEL TOADVINE Checking families with their IDs is Rae Nicely, executive director of Lehigh Community Services.
“We have our whole suite of offices filled with bags of toys and even our conference room is filled with toys that people have dropped off. We are so fortunate to have great people in Lehigh helping others,” she said.
Two of the volunteers were Junior ROTC cadets from East Lee High School, who headed to Lehigh Community Services right after school closed. They were Chris Ables and Patrick Simiele. Others who have helped, in addition to staff workers, also worked to make sure the right bags went to the right families.
“We put the ROTC students to work, running to get the bags of toys that were earmarked for each family. The toys are for younger children, but for one woman with two teenaged children, Nicely was able to provide two book bags.
“When we get through we might approach 400 in the number of children who were getting Christmas gifts.
The parking lot, ample for normal day activities, was filled and drivers were pulling in and backing out and horns were blasting. Many parked in the lot next door to Community Services.
MEL TOADVINE Sergio Villagomez, 7, holds his stuffed bear close to him after the toy giveaway last week by Lehigh Community Services.
Giving away toys has been a continuous activity by Lehigh Community Services for many years, almost back to when the agency began with the help of Lehigh Corp. The aim was at Christmas time to provide toys to children who may not have a Christmas due to financial needs of their parents.
The toys and gifts have come from organizations in Lehigh, separate individuals, and other sources. Each year, enough toys have always been collected to hand out to the kids and their families.
-
- MEL TOADVINE Cesar Alexander Paredes, 3, holds his new stuffed animal, a gift he was given by Lehigh Community Services last Friday. With him is his mother, Ana Lilia Vazquez.
-
- MEL TOADVINE Checking families with their IDs is Rae Nicely, executive director of Lehigh Community Services.
-
- MEL TOADVINE Sergio Villagomez, 7, holds his stuffed bear close to him after the toy giveaway last week by Lehigh Community Services.
-
- MEL TOADVINE Chris Ables, left, and Patrick Simiele, Junior ROTC cadets from E. Lee County High School, were volunteers who helped locate the bags for the children in the crowded offices of Lehigh Community Services.
MEL TOADVINE Chris Ables, left, and Patrick Simiele, Junior ROTC cadets from E. Lee County High School, were volunteers who helped locate the bags for the children in the crowded offices of Lehigh Community Services.
Toy giveaway grows with new donations
MEL TOADVINE Lines like this waiting in the parking lot of Lehigh Community Services for the agency’s toy and food giveaway last week. The line formed at 2 p.m. and ended at 4 p.m. with hundreds of toys given away to children and their families in Lehigh.
Hundreds of families, some with younger children with them, lined a section of the parking lot to get free toys and food for the holidays at the rear of Lehigh Community Services on Plaza Drive in Lehigh.
The toy giveaway by Lehigh Community Services was to began at 2 p.m. and continue to 4 p.m. Lines of families lasted for the entire two-hour period and agency Executive Director Rae Nicely said the crowd of children to get free toys had passed the 300 mark and may reach 350 or more.
“We had more toys given to us over the past week,” Nicely said as she sat at a table in the parking lot taking care and checking IDs of those who pre qualified to received toys for their children. Guidelines were used using family income figures.
In addition, food was also passed out, Nicely said.
“Sav-A-Lot provided almost 200 holiday bags of food for our clients and provided gifts for 20 children that we registered for Christmas,” Nicely said.
MEL TOADVINE Cesar Alexander Paredes, 3, holds his new stuffed animal, a gift he was given by Lehigh Community Services last Friday. With him is his mother, Ana Lilia Vazquez.
“And we received a large supply of frozen food, so much that our six freezers couldn’t contain them,” she said.
“Thanks to Zach Berard from Save-A-Lot for allowing us to use partial space in their walk-in cooler for much of the food. He has done this before and they truly make a difference in our community.
“They provide a less expensive place to shop for groceries and continue to support community activities in a big way,” Nicely said.
With the additional food and toys from Sav-A-Lot and other organizations in the community, Nicely said that also meant more toys and they planned to give away toys until they ran out.
To make the Christmas giveaway program work, it takes volunteer and certain plans to make the giveaway possible. Without having the toys all in separate bags and ready for those receiving them, volunteers for the past two weeks have been packing bags of toys, right up to the event on Dec. 18.
MEL TOADVINE Checking families with their IDs is Rae Nicely, executive director of Lehigh Community Services.
“We have our whole suite of offices filled with bags of toys and even our conference room is filled with toys that people have dropped off. We are so fortunate to have great people in Lehigh helping others,” she said.
Two of the volunteers were Junior ROTC cadets from East Lee High School, who headed to Lehigh Community Services right after school closed. They were Chris Ables and Patrick Simiele. Others who have helped, in addition to staff workers, also worked to make sure the right bags went to the right families.
“We put the ROTC students to work, running to get the bags of toys that were earmarked for each family. The toys are for younger children, but for one woman with two teenaged children, Nicely was able to provide two book bags.
“When we get through we might approach 400 in the number of children who were getting Christmas gifts.
The parking lot, ample for normal day activities, was filled and drivers were pulling in and backing out and horns were blasting. Many parked in the lot next door to Community Services.
MEL TOADVINE Sergio Villagomez, 7, holds his stuffed bear close to him after the toy giveaway last week by Lehigh Community Services.
Giving away toys has been a continuous activity by Lehigh Community Services for many years, almost back to when the agency began with the help of Lehigh Corp. The aim was at Christmas time to provide toys to children who may not have a Christmas due to financial needs of their parents.
The toys and gifts have come from organizations in Lehigh, separate individuals, and other sources. Each year, enough toys have always been collected to hand out to the kids and their families.
-
- MEL TOADVINE Cesar Alexander Paredes, 3, holds his new stuffed animal, a gift he was given by Lehigh Community Services last Friday. With him is his mother, Ana Lilia Vazquez.
-
- MEL TOADVINE Checking families with their IDs is Rae Nicely, executive director of Lehigh Community Services.
-
- MEL TOADVINE Sergio Villagomez, 7, holds his stuffed bear close to him after the toy giveaway last week by Lehigh Community Services.
-
- MEL TOADVINE Chris Ables, left, and Patrick Simiele, Junior ROTC cadets from E. Lee County High School, were volunteers who helped locate the bags for the children in the crowded offices of Lehigh Community Services.
MEL TOADVINE Chris Ables, left, and Patrick Simiele, Junior ROTC cadets from E. Lee County High School, were volunteers who helped locate the bags for the children in the crowded offices of Lehigh Community Services.
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