‘So many toys.’ Drive brings holiday joy to needy Stanislaus kids amid financial hardship
A Modesto toy drive will bring some holiday joy to hundreds of children amid a pandemic that’s caused economic hardship among many families.
Families across Stanislaus County, including children of field workers, lined up to each receive a personalized bag of several gifts at the King-Kennedy Memorial Center on Wednesday. More than 500 children will be able to have gifts thanks to coordinated efforts by West Modesto Community Collaborative (WMCC) and donors including Motown Classics Car Club, Oakdale Valley Community Bank and the California Highway Patrol.
Perfecto Munoz, executive director at WMCC, said his group has been holding the toy drive the past couple of years. It also partnered with other local organizations like the Stanislaus Asian American Community Resource and Sonshine Children’s Center in Modesto to ensure more children have gifts to open.
“Each bag has so many toys in it,” he said.
Rows of black bags with blankets, diapers, dolls, books, toy cars and more filled the floor of the room. The face of one little girl lit up as a volunteer handed her a stocking, which the child appeared to guard from her four small siblings.
One mother came in with her five kids after taking the bus from her Modesto home to Robertson Road and walking nearly two miles to get to the center. The kids walked away with their arms full of gifts as they made their way back home.
Families applied for gifts ahead of the event, listing what they needed and wanted, said Blanca Marin-Candelario, administrative aide and project coordinator at WMCC. Organizations then displayed decorated pine trees at their individual locations, hanging tags with gift ideas from the tree.
Modesto resident Esmeralda Corona, 33, showed up to the King-Kennedy center hoping to get for her 8-year-old son one of the few bikes available. She explained that she’s unemployed at the moment and spending money on gifts isn’t an option.
“He wanted a bike and I couldn’t buy him one,” she said in Spanish as tears rolled down her face. Corona said she plans to hide the two-wheeled gift from her son until Christmas Day but can’t wait to see his face light up.
Donors gave what they could, and most wishes were granted, said Marin-Candelario.
She added that grandparents and families as big as 12 members applied. All were able to receive a gift without needing to explain their situation.
“It’s a huge help,” said 36-year-old Josefina Yepez in Spanish. The Modesto resident said the pandemic, coupled with inflation, has made it especially difficult for her to buy gifts for her kids.
Yepez and her family aren’t the only ones feeling economic hardship.
Almost half of low-income families, those annually making $40,000 or less, say they or someone in their household lost a job or took a pay cut as a result of the pandemic, data from the Office of Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation shows. Further, the U.S. Department of Labor reports that the nation is experiencing the fastest-growing inflation rates in over 30 years.
And in Stanislaus County, the unemployment rate was 6.9% in November, down by nearly double what the rate was at the start of the pandemic, the Employment Development Department reports. However, the local rate remains higher than the state’s unemployment rate of 5.4%.
“There is always a need,” said Marin-Candelario, explaining that this year, she could tell that the community as a whole is economically hurting.
She said there were a lot fewer donations and help this time around, which is understandable, given that many people lost their jobs. Large gifts, like the bike Corona was able to get for her child, were in short supply.
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This story was originally published December 23, 2021 at 8:52 AM.
