Oceanside CA— A group from MainStreet Oceanside, including Santa, delivered toys and a check for $300.00 to North County Community Services at the Balderama Community Center, 709 San Diego Street.
MainStreet Oceanside had set up a Giving Tree at many of their recent events. On the tree were more than sixty ornaments decorated by the children at the center. On one side was a drawing and on the other side, the kids wrote their name and what they wanted for Christmas this year.
“People put in so much effort, thought and care when they purchased the gifts for the kids.” said Rick Wright, Executive Director at MainStreet Oceanside “When people knew the name of the child and had the personalized ornament, it was made a little more special than just buying a gift and putting it in a box.”
Santa was the star of the morning. “You forget just how much Santa means to kids at this age.” said Santa (aka Gumaro Escarcega, MainStreet Oceanside Program Manager) “They were just so excited. One little girl just came running straight at me and gave me a big hug.”
This mornings visit was just to drop off the presents. The kids will open their gifts later this month during the centers holiday party.
Santa and his helpers were rewarded with a ‘Feliz Navidad’ sung by the youngsters