December 21: Today was the big payoff for the year of fundraising for the Salvation Army (You may have been reading my blog posts about the CanTree committee of the Sacramento Association of Realtors). I was fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in the distribution of toys and food for the holidays to families in need. It all took place at Cal Expo – our state fairgrounds.
Thank you to my fellow members of the CanTree Committee, but also to all the members of the Sacramento Association of Realtors who bought raffle tickets at all of our realtor meetings and tickets to all of our fundraising functions throughout the year, and of course to the businesses and members of the community who donated prizes for our raffles, silent auctions and live auctions. All of this combined raised $76,000 for Salvation Army in 2011!
People arrived all day long to pick up the toys and food boxes reserved for them, and they were so grateful, with some in tears, some giving hugs, and many “God Bless You”s. Some families carpooled, some drove in with cars barely functioning, and there were some who had no transportation. For those, there was a shuttle service to help them get home with their food boxes and toy bags.
A few people seemed embarrassed by the fact that they arrived in newer vehicles, but that is simply evidence that this economy has hit families across the financial spectrum. Each family who picked up items had been prescreened, and all we had to be concerned with was to try to give them a happy holiday season in some way.
I worked for the first couple of hours handing out the bags of toys, which had been specifically selected to meet the needs of each family as to the sex and age of each child and their interests.
After breaking for a quick (and delicious) lunch prepared by the chef of the Salvation Army men’s shelter, I came back out to my station and found that it was well covered, so I moved over to the food distribution station for the last couple of hours.
I have to say it was good exercise, and it was also exciting to see the huge supplies of toys and food disappearing through the day. You can see how the supplies dwindled from this slide show. I didn’t take many photos, because I was mostly busy working all day and picture-taking was only for those moments when the steady stream slowed a bit.
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Arrgh! I can't get the video to embed for some reason. You can take a look at it on YouTube here. It will open in a new window, so you won't be steered away from Active Rain.
Where we ate lunch was in a separate auditorium adjoining the one with the toys all laid out. The lunch area took up a small part of this room, which was loaded with coats, which had been sorted by size. All of the people who came through for help today were invited back on December 30th for free coat distribution for their entire family.
Jon will be off work that day, so he and I will most likely both be helping out for that. It is the best Christmas present we are giving ourselves this year. It has been a tough year for us, with some difficult family losses, and we believe that the best way to pull ourselves out of a funk is to do things for others – and it does help!
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Susan Neal "Happy clients make me happy."
Broker / Realtor
Century 21 Noel David Realty
Fair Oaks, California
Full time real estate services in Fair Oaks CA, with friendly professionalism, 30+ years experience.
I work hard to give my buyer or seller a low-stress transaction.
For all your real estate needs or questions, call me at (916)705-8951 or visit my website at www.SusanNealFineProperties.com.
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