BY NICK DIAMANTIDES
Staff Writer
It’s Christmastime in the city, and one of the obvious signs of the holiday season is the annual Christmas gift giveaway at Lakeview Lock Shop in the California Heights section of Long Beach. Owner Solomon Barnes has been offering the gifts to children of needy families for many years.
“When I was a child, I never had a toy of my own,” said Solomon, who grew up in a poor family in rural Mississippi. “I feel that it is really important to give gifts to kids who otherwise might not get much, or might get nothing at all during Christmas.”
Barnes explained that, while he was employed by McDonell Douglas, he managed the company’s outreach program, which provided funding and other assistance to drug and alcohol recovery programs. “In dealing with those programs, I noticed that many parents trying to overcome their addictions could not afford to buy gifts for their children,” he said. “So, as part of that outreach, we started buying gifts for those kids.”
McDonell Douglas supplied thousands of dollars for the outreach program every year, but those funds evaporated when Barnes got laid off and the company was purchased by the Boeing Company. When that happened, about 20 years ago, Barnes became a professional locksmith, and he became involved as a volunteer with several drug and alcohol recovery programs. He also began spending his own money to purchase gifts for children whose parents could not afford to buy presents. “God has blessed me with the ability to do this, and He deserves all the credit,” he said. “I just feel blessed that I can make some kids happy on Christmas.”
Barnes noted that many of the kids who receive the gifts never forget it. “They write all kinds of thank-you notes and, when they see me in a park or a mall or somewhere else, they come up to me and thank me,” he said. “It’s really a blessing from God. I’m just His vessel.”
One of Barnes’s friends, Hayward Hunt, has been helping Solomon with the gift giveaway for about three years. “This is a good way to give back to the community,” he said. “It makes all of us feel very good.” Hunt keeps the line outside the shop flowing smoothly and serves as one of Santa’s helpers during the day of the event.
Tracy Wright, the chairperson for the gift giveaway. “I have been doing this for about five years,” she said. “It is a blessed event every year.” She noted that the economic recession has impacted Solomon’s business, but he was not about to cut back on the amount of money he would spend on the gifts. “I know it is really a blessing for him to be able to continue to share his prosperity with the community,” she said.
Wright said she accompanies Barnes to various local toy stores to purchase the gifts. The kids come from as far away as West Hollywood and West Los Angeles, but they also come from Long Beach, Compton, Paramount and other cities that are close by,” she said.
Barnes acknowledged that it has been a tough year for his business, but he noted that he still had enough to purchase the gifts. “This is just the Lord providing,” he said. “Without me even asking, a couple of my friends said ‘We are going to help you (pay for the gifts.)'”
“I feel that my children were blessed to be called here, “ said Demuria Bender, who lives in Los Angeles with her three children. “I thank Solomon for inviting us and for doing this for so many kids.”
Nine-year-old Ariana Brady was also thankful. “I am happy and appreciative to Solomon for doing this for us,” she said.
This year’s gift giveaway started at 10am Tuesday and lasted until about 4pm. Wayne Chaney, Jr., pastor of Antioch Church of Long Beach, began the event with a prayer in which he asked God to bless the children receiving the gifts and to continue prospering Barnes’s business.
“Our church is right now having a season of selflessness where we are getting outside of ourselves,” Chaney said. “We are looking for ways to bless those around us. I just thank Solomon for his selfless spirit that is demonstrated by his helping those who don’t have so much.”
After Chaney’s prayer, the children began entering the shop to receive gifts handed out by Santa Claus, one of Barnes’s friends.
While the kids were lining up outside and coming in one-by-one to receive their gifts, 7th District Long Beach City Councilwoman Tonia Reyes-Uranga dropped in to thank Barnes for what he was doing. “I think it is fantastic that a local businessman would do such a thing,” she said. “What a great heart he has, and when you see the smiling faces of the children, you know it is well worth his efforts.”
Chaney noted that what Barnes is doing is even more important during these hard economic times. “Christmas is about the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” he added. “By doing this, Solomon is showing the love of Christ.”
“When these kids get their gifts, they know two things,” Barnes said. “They know God loves them, and they know I love them.” Lakeview Lock Shop is located at 913 E. Wardlow Rd.
