By Catie Aznoe
On December 13th and 14th, we hosted families from our local communities at our Livermore and Brentwood campuses for our Christmas Distribution events. Because of all of the support we received, we were able to help 189 families (768 individuals) have a brighter Christmas this year!! When each family arrived at the events, the kids were whisked away by volunteers to do holiday crafts, decorate cookies, see Santa and jump in a bouncy house. While the kids were having such a fun time, their parents were able to walk around a room filled with toys and gifts to find the perfect presents for their children. Whether it was the Cinderella tea set that their daughter had been wanting or the little Lego set for their son, everyone found the perfect gifts amongst all that had been donated by individuals, companies and the community.
The parents who came were able to walk through a room full of toys and gifts to choose presents that were best for their child, wrap them up and then tuck them away in their cars so that the kids could be surprised on Christmas. Attendees at the Brentwood event enjoyed a breakfast of fluffy pancakes and sausage and those at our Livermore event had lunch of warm home-made chicken stew and salad. Every family also received a couple bags of groceries and a turkey so they could have a full Christmas dinner. We were so excited to play a part in creating a special time for these families who are struggling and are grateful for everyone who helped, including the 173 volunteers!