Food, toy drives make difference





Wrapping it up Volunteer Karen Davidson boxes up food at the end of a day of collecting donations for the VFW Care and Share Drive.

Wrapping it up Volunteer Karen Davidson boxes up food at the end of a day of collecting donations for the VFW Care and Share Drive.

With property values skyrocketing, high-dollar construction booming and more luxury vehicles than ever cruising the streets of Port Aransas, it might be easy to overlook the idea that low-income families live in this town too.

But they do exist.

“These are households that can’t afford rent, much less presents for their kids,” said Sandy Flores, a Port Aransas police officer who is helping with a toy drive for local needy children. “This island is expensive to live on.”

But there’s lots of help for Port Aransans who are most in need at Christmas time.

Organizers of two local charity efforts – the Emergency Services Toy Round Up and the Care and Share Drive led by VFW Post 8967 – are reporting successful toy and food drives to make Christmas better for underprivileged families in Port Aransas this year.

The Care and Share Drive received enough cash and non-perishable food donations to feed all of the 97 people – and their families – who requested free Christmas meals, said David Davidson, chairman of the drive.

Davidson said Care and Share raised slightly more money than in recent years. He declined to reveal the total but said if money is left over after buying this year’s dinners, the cash will be earmarked for next year’s food drive.

The 97 requests for free Christmas dinners were more than in recent memory, Davidson said. The most he remembered from the past few years was 84 one year.

One possible reason for the increase could be that the Food Pantry – a relatively new organization in Port Aransas – was helping take applications, in addition to regular Care and Share volunteers, Davidson said.

Deliveries of Christmas meals are scheduled for today – Thursday, Dec. 21. Everyone will get a turkey, plus side dishes, Davidson said.

Parents of about 130 children have signed up for help from the Emergency Services Toy Round Up – a joint effort by fire, police and emergency medical service workers in Port Aransas, said Kristin L. Adams, chairman of the Round Up.

The Round Up has received donations of several hundred toys, said Adams, a paramedic with Port Aransas EMS.

One individual alone donated 13 bicycles, 10 air hockey games and 10 foosball tables, Adams said.

The drive also netted more than $6,000 in cash donations, Adams said. Most of the cash will be used to buy still more toys, and some will be used for scholarships for Port Aransas High School students, Adams said.

“I feel pretty good about (the Round Up this year),” Adams said. “We had some pretty substantial donations.

Adams said she wanted to express gratitude to Lynda Coward, owner of The Flats, for going through with a barbecue to benefit the Toy Round Up Dec. 9, at The Flats, after James “Big Jim” Madison, the benefit’s co-organizer, died suddenly on Nov. 26.

The benefit raised about $1,500 cash, enough toys to fill four 55-gallon bags, plus a bicycle.

Coward said it wasn’t just her, but also cook Royce Walker, and all of Big Jim’s friends and others who helped put on the barbecue benefit – an event she said she plans to hold every year.

Round Up organizers will contact families with instructions for picking up their toys today, Dec. 21, through Saturday, Dec. 23, Adams said. Deadline for needy families to apply for help with toys was Dec. 10.

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