Rotary Baskets bring a Merry Christmas to 415 needy SP families

December 29, 2004
Santa Paula News

The Rotary Club of Santa Paula, as well as volunteers and supporters, made sure that 415 local needy families were able to celebrate the holiday with their very own Christmas baskets delivered early Christmas Eve morning.

By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesThe Rotary Club of Santa Paula, as well as volunteers and supporters, made sure that 415 local needy families were able to celebrate the holiday with their very own Christmas baskets delivered early Christmas Eve morning.“Everything was pretty much in place and there was a big turn out Christmas Eve morning,” in spite of the 5:30 a.m. meeting time to deliver the baskets, said Rotary Christmas Basket Chairman Steve Jump. “The deliveries went really well and we were done by about 7 a.m.”The annual Christmas Basket program ensures that families have plenty of food, as well as a specially selected toy, game or book for each member of the family, which must be pre-screened to establish need.Recipient families were “Very, very pleased, very happy to see us,” although some were a “very surprised to see us so early,” Jump noted. All the “visits were special, the families were all grateful” that Rotarians, volunteers and supporters had banded together to make their holiday brighter.
Jump said having Rotarians Norm Wilkinson (who painstakingly creates the route maps for deliveries), Mike Mobley and Henry Vega lending more than a helping hand was pivotal to the success of this year’s basket program. “They worked the hardest and the most…Norm does a great job Christmas Eve morning and Henry and Mike are great guys; whatever you need they do it. Pat Zwagerman (the Santa Paula Boys & Girls Club executive director) screened all the applications and Maria Bombara and Scott Anderson did so much as well. We have more than 100 volunteers and donations from everywhere right up to the last minute.”Each family received boxes filled with enough frozen chickens, canned goods, rice, beans, potatoes and fruit to feed the family for days beyond Christmas. The children received toys, books and other goodies that made their eyes light up for the holidays.A true community, aside from donations of food, toys and cash, numerous groups ranging from Scouts to Future Farmers of America to mobile home park residents have drives to help the club make Christmas a reality for the city’s neediest families. The success of the annual program is largely dependent on the generosity of the community.The Santa Paula fire and police stations, as well as Santa Clara Valley Bank, were collection points for canned goods and children’s items. Helpers also provided labor at Santa Paula’s own North Pole, the Community Center, where Rotarians and Christmas Basket supporters spent hours packing the boxes delivered early Christmas Eve morning.“We’re already starting on next year’s Christmas Basket program,“ said Jump. Monetary contributions may be given to any Santa Paula Rotary Club member, mailed to Rotary Club, P.O. Box 809, Santa Paula, CA 93061, or Santa Clara Valley Bank c/o Rotary Santa Paula Christmas Basket Program, P.O. Box 191, Santa Paula, CA 93061-0191. Make all checks payable to Santa Paula Rotary Christmas Basket Fund.



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