Two Toy Drives, Two Chances to Give

My self-employed, middle-class parents always used to say our family was "rich in love."

At Christmastime, that meant that instead of receiving piles of the latest toys and gadgets like the children of doctors and lawyers who filled our Bay Area neighborhood, we got stockings stuffed with family traditions like oranges and Italian candy, plus a few carefully-chosen gifts, always with handwritten cards. Whenever my parents saved their pennies for months to buy a marquee item—bunk beds one year, a leather jacket the year I was 12—it was a big deal.

We were some of the luckiest kids in town—but it wasn't because of the number of presents we got.

Still, we had more than many. That point was brought home to us one Christmas in particular.

We were at a local Christmas tree lot shopping for our usual Douglas Fir, and my dad was approached by a man asking for money. He had two little kids at home, he said, and couldn't afford to buy them presents for Christmas. My dad had just enough cash in his pocket to pay for the tree. But he told the stranger that my brother and I both had toys we'd outgrown at our house, a 10-minute drive away, and we could bring them back to the lot that night if he'd like to wait.

When we got home, my brother and I each grabbed a brown paper bag and tore through our bedroom like whirlwinds. Stuffed animals, race cars, books—all went into the bags. We were horrified at the idea of kids not having toys on Christmas, and my father told me later he saw at least one toy that was still loved and well-used get put into the giveaway pile.

Fired up with anticipation of our good deed, we arrived back at the lot...only to find that the man was gone. The lot owner shrugged when we asked about him. "He comes around here now and again," he said. "He didn't wait long."

My brother, about five at the time, sobbed all the way home. At 10, I was a little more jaded, but I knew why he was crying. Now, as an adult, I realize that while we didn't end up helping a needy family that night, we did connect with the real spirit of the holidays. In a sense, we were the ones who received the gift.

Elk Grovians will get a chance to do the same this season, as two different local groups are collecting toys for children in need.

The Elk Grove Police Department and the Cosumnes Community Services District are teaming up for their annual Community Toy Project, which benefits kids from low-income families in the Elk Grove area. Donate new, unwrapped toys at the , or any of several fire stations. See the website for a list of locations, or to refer a child who could use a toy.

Elk Grove Mayor Steve Detrick is organizing a toy drive for the children of Concepción de Ataco, Elk Grove's Salvadoran sister city, where , let alone presents. Checks can be sent from now through Dec. 16 to Children of Ataco Toy Drive, P.O. Box 2349, Elk Grove CA 95759. The money will be sent to a toy store in Ataco, Detrick says, and city officials there will buy and distribute the gifts.

While you're purchasing your toys or writing your checks, you might also take time to ponder these two questions, ones that have been on my mind lately: What can I do during the rest of the year to support people in need in my community? and What can I do to create a world in which all children have the things they need—food, water, shelter, and yes, even toys?