The San Juan Bautista Mission toy drive almost didn’t make it,
but was rescued at the last minute by the brave souls in the city’s
all-volunteer fire department and members of the Amah Mutsun
tribe.
San Juan Bautista – The San Juan Bautista Mission toy drive almost didn’t make it, but was rescued at the last minute by the brave souls in the city’s all-volunteer fire department and members of the Amah Mutsun tribe.
Every year, the mission gives out food and toys to needy families in the community. But because the demand was higher than usual this season, they quickly realized they were facing a shortage.
The conduit for the cooperative effort was Father Ed Fitzhenry, the mission priest who is also part of the fire department and suggested the mission work with the community to find the remainder of the toys. The department began by hanging up fliers and putting barrels at local businesses to solicit donations. Then one day, Jeff Bagley, a firefighter, was eating at Mission Cafe when he casually mentioned the toy shortage to a waitress. The woman told Quirina Costillas, the owner of the restaurant and a Amah Mutsun, and before long the tribe was also involved.
“This is our homeland and we wanted to help the community,” said Costillas, who is one of some 500 enrolled members fighting for tribal recognition.
The fire department estimates that close to 20 barrels of toys were collected, each 50 gallons, many more than was originally intended. The extras were donated to a battered women’s shelter in Los Banos, to a local children’s program and several to handicapped kids in the area that the firefighters visited at home.
“Thanks to everyone’s help we were able to raise more than we could have hoped for,” said Bagley.
Many San Juan Bautista families are in a financial pinch this holiday season and unable to buy toys and food for their kids, said Costillas.
“There are people who live two families per apartment,” she said. “It’s pretty dismal.”
This is the third year the San Juan Bautista Fire Department has done the toy drive and has seen the number of needy children grow, said Bagley.
The toy drive was part of the national Toys for Tots program, that collects toys for children during the holidays.
