Dozens of families lined up along Salinas Road in Pajaro Monday morning, children’s faces peering from backseat windows, as they waited their turn for Santa Claus to hand them their Christmas gifts.
But the presents were not the only thing the visitors received.
The drive through a maze of industrial buildings also included being serenaded by a troupe of young mariachi players, a greeting from a handful of life-sized Disney Characters, new jackets and a parcel of food to help fill the families’ pantries during the holiday season.
The event, during which some 250 families participated—including an estimated 479 children—took place at Casa de la Cultura, a Catholic nonprofit founded in 1989 that serves the low-income working families of Pajaro.
Sister Rosa Dolores—who has led the effort since 1991—said she started out by giving gifts to 37 children.
It has since evolved into an event powered almost entirely by volunteers, in addition to a handful of local companies that donate funds, food and employee volunteers.
“We’ve been doing this for years, and it’s been a wonderful way of giving to the community,” said Sister Theresa Linehan, of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. “Today is important for this community especially, because we know that they have not received a lot of things for many reasons.”
Second Harvest Food Bank, Lakeside Organic Gardens, Palma school, Vallarta Supermarkets and the Knights of Columbus are a few of the businesses and organizations that contributed to the day.
Andrew Wulf, who oversees the philanthropic arm of Driscoll’s berry company, said that about 20 people from that company were on hand to volunteer.
Dozens more took part in the “Adopt a Family” effort, for which employees purchase gifts the children request, along with other necessities. These parcels were then handed out to the families.
“Pajaro is the community we work with quite a bit,” Wulf said. “We’re a global organization, but this is where our headquarters is. We have a lot of families who are from here and the surrounding area. This is our home where we have a lot of good operations and good families. Being a part of this community is a special thing to us.”
