Assisted by volunteers, local residents “shop” for gifts for children in their families Wednesday morning during the Long Beach Salvation Army’s Toy-n-Joy Shop at its headquarters on Long Beach Boulevard.
So, when Garcia oversees the dozens of staff members and volunteers who assist local residents in need in selecting toys, games and stocking stuffers for the children in their families, he does so with that societal context in mind.
Perhaps he also sees the staying power in such a long-lasting program; he remembers the Salvation Army hosting a similar event when he was a kid in Fresno 40 years ago.
“This is kind of a staple of the Salvation Army, to help families during Christmas,” Garcia said. “The Red Kettle campaign that goes side by side with feeding people at Christmas has been running since the 1930s.”
He explained that the campaign that features volunteers ringing a bell outside stores supports the organization’s work to feed families, and the Toy-n-Joy Shop, which offers food, is also funded by that campaign.
Garcia said the organization’s outreach efforts to locate families in need include posting flyers at its food banks, as well as at local schools and hospitals.
Melinda Lankford, Corps Capital campaign director at the Long Beach Corps and Community Center, was working alongside Garcia this week, at the pop-up shop, which took place Tuesday and Wednesday. She explained how the event was organized.
“Families ahead of time came to us in the last month, and we had sign-up time, where they can prove to us their need with their income,” Lankford said. “They [also] prove to us their residency, because we help people in Long Beach, Signal Hill, Lakewood, Hawaiian Gardens or Avalon. Those are our service areas. If they’re out of that area, we send them to a different Salvation Army.”
Lankford explained that the residents must provide identification for themselves, as well as children’s birth certificates.
“Then they come, and they get a slip, which tells them what time to come and line up,” she said. “From there, they come through [the gift-selection line], and they have a volunteer who walks them through.”
The residents are able to choose an age-appropriate toy, a clothing item, a game or puzzle and a few stocking stuffers.
“And then, from there, they go outside and, depending on the size of their family, they’ll get either a small or a large food box, and then they’ll get either a turkey or a chicken and some fresh bread and fruit and vegetables that have been donated.”
Lankford said 604 families signed up for the two-day event, but she expected a few others who hadn’t been able to sign up, adding that she anticipated that about 620 families total would be served.
“We get attacked in the West for being materialistic, and some people might look at it and say, ‘Why give a toy to a child when you can buy them food?’ But, in the context of our culture, giving a toy to a child really brings joy and cheer,” Garcia said. “And that’s what we’re about— spreading love, joy, cheer— and even a little peace to the parents who can’t afford to give that to their kids.”
Garcia illustrated his point by sharing the story of what he calls “one of the more heartbreaking letters” from a family that he has read. He said a child wrote the letter asking for a particular toy and addressed the correspondence— not to the man up north— but to the local charitable organization.
“It wasn’t addressed ‘Dear Santa’— it was addressed ‘Dear Salvation Army,'” Garcia explained. “This is an 8-year-old child who knew his family was getting help.”
The boy was asking for a toy that his friends already had, so that he could play along with them.
“So, if I can bring a little joy to that child, I feel good about that,” Garcia said. “I feel that we have done our mission.”
