South Bay Community Services is ready to kick off the holidays with its annual Holiday Giving Program.
“During the holidays for families, and children, and youth, who are struggling (financially) it’s harder during the holidays because (they) are about families coming together. For those people that are having a hard time, it could be even harder for them,” said Patty Chavez, communications and external affairs director with South Bay Community Services.
Chavez said the SBCS staff works closely with families and young people to make their holiday dreams come true.
Hope for The Holidays has social workers and case managers working to make a holiday wish for a child or family come true. A child or family that is already receiving help through SBCS writes their wish and SBCS matches that with a community member or donor to make that wish come true.
Chavez said every once in a while, a child will wish for a big item like a video game console but for most part, she said, children wish for every day necessities such as shoes and socks.
“Most of the time those wishes are about basic needs,” she said. “Sometimes it’s the only gifts these kids get.”
Last year, Chavez said SBCS granted wishes for more than 900 children.
This year, she said, they are on pace to receive wishes from 500 kids. She said SBCS plans on delivering wishes starting Dec. 10 through Dec. 20.
Chavez said some gifts are not wrapped so the parents of the kids requesting the wish can wrap it for their children.
For collection drives, Chavez said schools, businesses and organizations host their own drives than give their collections to SBCS to distribute to needy families.
She said collection drives consist of an array of items such as toy drives, blanket drives, diaper drives and drives for kitchen items.
“We really have community members who really want to give back,” she said.
A Barnes & Noble at the Otay Ranch Town Center started its holiday book collecting drive last week and has already collected more than 200 books donated by customers. The store is said to deliver the books to SBCS on Dec. 20 for distribution to needy families.
If interested in making a wish come true or hosting a collection drive, contact Chavez at (619) 420-3620.
