More than 8,000 families were helped at this year's Salvation Army Christmas Depot food and toy give-away.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – With a cart full of toys and food, Demerita made her way to the car with a smile across her face.

"I know my kids will have a good Christmas," the single mother-of-two said. "I am walking away with a carload of toys and now I don't have to worry about making my money stretch to get presents."

Demerita was at the "Christmas Depot" in Virginia Beach where The Salvation Army teamed up with the Marines and Toys for Tots program, The Virginian Pilot's Joy Fund, the Angel Tree Project and Operation Blessing to give out food and toys to 8,000 local families.

"I have to focus on where every penny goes," Demerita said. "I live on a limited budget and buying a lot of presents just isn't an option for me."

Demerita, of Norfolk, has two children, 14 and 7.

"This is a great way for us to get out into the community and give back to the people who live around us," said John Orlando, who volunteered to help parents "shop." Orlando is one of the owners of Financial Security Group based in Virginia Beach. "It's been a great experience," he added.

Orlando brought 25 other volunteers to the event, which ran from Dec. 14 through Saturday. About 10,500 holiday-size meals were given to residents and 21,000 children received toys.

Typically, the combined toy drive effort generates about $600,000 worth of new children's items, and this year was no exception.

As a key partner in the outreach, OBI provided services valued at more than $150,000 in cash, food and volunteer hours. Items handed out included traditional holiday meal staples such as gravy, beans and sweet potatoes. In addition, each family got a whole chicken.

"Our partnering with The Salvation Army this year was a wonderful experience on all fronts," said Dean Nowotny, Operation Blessing's senior manager of domestic outreach programs. "We helped assist more people than what we could have done by ourselves."

Nowotny added, "This has been a great opportunity for us to reach out to those around us and assist the less fortunate here at home in addition to our service in other countries."

Demerita gets help loading her car from a volunteer. She left with toys for her two children and food.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
Your gift today can help bring nutritious food and essential supplies to thousands facing hunger and poverty here in America. Please make an online donation today so we can continue to impact lives and give hope to those who need it most.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright © 1997- 2008 by Operation Blessing International of this page and all contents. No part of this site may be used without prior written consent from OBI. All Rights Reserved. Questions or comments? Email us at operation.blessing@ob.org.