COVID-19 isn’t stopping Christmas celebrations at the Modesto Gospel Mission
COVID-19 has not stopped the Modesto Gospel Mission’s annual Christmas celebrations of giving gifts, dinner and good cheer to those most in need in the community.
But, the events have taken on a new form this year that may be a little better, or at least bigger.
“This year we’re doing it a little bit different and COVID allowed us to serve more people,” said Scott Pernice, director of development at The Mission, “We’ve set up a warehouse and scheduled appointments with families where we will serve out 3,600 gifts.”
Pernice calls it their “10 Days of Christmas,” with appointments for families to come for the gift giveaway running through Dec. 23. However, all of the appointments have been filled.
He said historically they distribute about 2,000 gifts every year. Usually, people line up the night before, sometimes in freezing temperatures, to get a gift. He estimated that the demand was closer to 4,000 to 5,000 gifts, mostly from working poor families, but they had to limit the number of reservations to be sure they had enough.
Unwrapped gifts are available for all ages, including adults, and everyone gets to choose one big present. The items are arranged by age and gender for young children, to help kids narrow down their choices.
About 90% of the items are donated, with the remainder purchased by staff with monetary donations. The inventory seems to offer something for everyone, from preschool toys, games, dolls, ride-on trucks, bikes, blankets and warm clothes to gadgets and personal care essentials for adults.
Pernice said that donations are always welcome and items are still needed to meet the demands.
“We are in desperate need for gifts for kids 11 to 17, boys and girls,” said Pernice, “We don’t want to turn anyone away ever. That’s not our heart.”
Warehouse becomes “Winter Wonderland”
A large warehouse, just behind the Mission’s Yosemite location, was adorned with holiday decorations, a festive Christmas tree, plenty of worker elves and tables overflowing with gifts, enough to be the envy of Santa’s workshop.
Nicknamed “Winter Wonderland,” the industrial-style facility felt as chilly as the North Pole, but the warm welcome of the Mission’s staff for the families could melt even the Grinch’s three-sizes-too-small heart.
“We are just very grateful that we can come here and get gifts for our kids,” said Angelica Ruiz, who recently relocated to Modesto.
Ruiz was with her two children, Robert Lopez, 11, and Athena Lopez, 13, and her goddaughter, Yadriza Sierra-Perez, 12. All three adolescents chose a speaker as their big gift, and they were really happy to receive a few smaller gifts too, including stuffed animals and art supplies.
Ruiz said, “The trying times under COVID have been very difficult for me.”
She said she has underlying respiratory problems, including hard-to-control asthma, and has been on disability leave from her job as a medical receptionist since COVID-19 started last spring. She moved her family here from San Jose in October.
Ruiz said she learned about the Mission’s program from her best friend, Xioco, who was also at the Mission with three of her five children, ages 3, 5 and 12. Her other two children were at home doing online school.
Xioco is a single mother and declined to give her full name out of concern for embarrassing her family. She was a child care worker but lost her job due to the pandemic. She said with the children at home from school, she hasn’t been able to get a new job.
This was both families’ first time at The Mission.
Although all appointments for gift visits are filled, the Mission staff will distribute any remaining items to families who come for their “to-go” Christmas dinner on Dec. 23 at 11 a.m. They are expecting to serve about 2,000 people for the traditional holiday meal of ham, yams and pie. No reservations are needed for the dinner.
The Mission welcomes volunteers and donations of money, food, new unwrapped toys, clothes and other items for the Christmas events.
Pernice expressed gratitude for all of the help and donations from the community and said seeing the happiness of the children and relief for the adults is what Christmas is about for him.
“My absolute favorite part is seeing the faces of the kids when they find a toy they really really love,” said Pernice, “(It’s about) giving people an opportunity to get a gift that in many cases they wouldn’t have been able to afford otherwise.”
For additional information about donating or volunteering, visit https://modestogospelmission.org/christmas-2020 or call 209- 529-8259.
This story was produced with financial support from The Stanislaus County Office of Education and the Stanislaus Community Foundation, along with the GroundTruth Project’s Report for America initiative. The Modesto Bee maintains full editorial control of this work.
To help fund The Bee’s children’s health and economic development reporters with Report for America, go to bitly.com/ModbeeRFA
This story was originally published December 19, 2020 at 3:02 PM.
