By Robin Smith and Mercedes Johnson
The object of The Christmas Baskets Project is to connect donors of Christmas
kindness with mountain residents who can use this special help at Christmas.
The Project began in 2004 when Steve Sonder of the Walter Mortensen Insurance
Agency wanted to give Christmas food baskets to low-income members of our
communities. After a little searching, a list of ten names was born. Since then,
the idea has taken wings and has grown.
In 2005, the project grew to 70 baskets and a few toys that were donated and
distributed by Mortensen Insurance and also by members of four local churches.
The Family Resource Center provided a link to those in need of assistance.
In 2006, people of the Mountain Communities donated over 80 baskets and about
130 toys. Once again, the Family Resource Center provided a link to many of
those in need of assistance.
The Center staff, and those who work in collaboration with the Resource
Center, generously gave of their time to answer phone calls from donors and
recipients and pass the information to the Christmas Baskets Project
coordinators.
Toys for Tots provided toys for our local children through the school
district which also worked with the Family Resource Center.
Though we were not a part of that effort, we did coordinate toy distribution
from donors to recipients through collaboration with The Salvation Army and many
individual donors.
Our special thanks to the following 2006 Mountain Communities Christmas
Baskets Project donors:
Business donors (28 Baskets)? ACE Hardware; ARCO MiniMart and
Gasoline, Lebec; Country Home and Ranch Real Estate; Frazier Park Market (candy
for children?s Christmas stockings); My Favorite Things (Kathy Sanchez and
friends, Linda and Ray Mellen, Michael Foster, Pati Maez, Connie Gaddy, Gail
Biggerstaff, Tinnley and Harry Lex, Dennis and Paula Gibson, Joyce and John
Dudley); Mitch Wood, State Farm Insurance (stocking stuffers for children);
Pilates In The Pines and Friends (gifts and delivery by Vicki Bingaman, Laural
Quinn, Catherine Simpson, and an anonymous donor); Russell Lee Physical Therapy;
Steve Sonder of Walter Mortensen Insurance Agency; The Pine Mountain Scrappers
Guild (gifts and delivery by: Betty Mitchell, Pat Dubois, M.J. Glaseman, Marcy
Warkinten, Alice Chitwood, Victoria Plesa, Mae Higgins, Mary Tondrau, Bobby
Harner, Ruth Ouellette, Mariann Jewett).
Toy donors:
The Salvation Army (65 toys); Pine Mountain residents (30 toys); The Terry
Brennan family delivered toys to 17 families from Our Lady of the Snows Angel
Tree. Interpreter: Jane Gomez
Interpreter: Jane Gomez
Members of the following churches donated 59 baskets:
Calvary Chapel: Pastor Bob and Joy Horner, Rudy and Margaret Cuss, Mike and
Jodi Zicker, Gregg and Joan VanBlair, Cathy and Randy Warren; El Camino Pines
Lutheran: Charlene Ohlrich, coordinator, with Frank and Shan Haider; Lebec
Community Church, Pat Ransom, coordinator; Mountain Park Baptist provided gifts;
Our Lady of the Snows, Bernice Trojan, food baskets coordinator; Melitza
Brennan, Angel Tree Coordinator; Seventh Day Adventist, Judy Hess and Glenna
Freeman, coordinators;
Additional toy distribution:
The Old FUX Motorcycle Club also delivered toys to our Mountain. Wrapped and
bagged by Maria Fairfield and Teresa Harri, they were distributed through the
Frazier Mountain Community Health Clinic in Lebec.
This is part of the January 05, 2007 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.
Have an opinion on this matter? We'd like to hear from you.
