It provides just a single basket on a single day, but the Christmas Outreach program at Mission San Juan Bautista has an impact that during tough economic times makes life a bit easier for more than 500 local residents.
For the past 13 years, volunteers have turned parishioners’ cash donations into Christmas baskets for hundreds of people in San Juan and Aromas. This year alone, 119 families – including 262 adults, 57 teenagers, 224 children and 15 infants under age 1 – signed up to receive food, toys, clothing and even diapers and baby food during the annual handout, which took place Wednesday.
Carol Andrijeski and her husband, Vincent, along with Joe and Jackie Smith and Al and Joan Brekke have spent the past decade coordinating the program. On Monday, they shopped for provisions at Costco and spent the morning Tuesday at the teaching center near the Mission office assembling the baskets that would be handed out.
“The idea is to help people in San Juan and Aromas who don’t have anything else, especially at this time of year,” Carol Andrijeski said. “San Juan has no other programs for the poor here. We do a handout of baskets with food, and we take used clothing donations and toys from the fire department and Boy Scouts and make sure every child gets at least one toy.”
Participants have to sign up ahead of time in order to receive a Christmas basket.
“That way we know how much to buy and we do our best to get what people want – especially blankets and warm clothing,” Andrijeski said. “All we can hand out is what’s donated.”
Those donations have been off a bit this year, she noted, particularly since a couple that used to donate thousands of dollars to the program moved away. Three special collections done during Mass at the Mission help offset the cost of the food.
After helping 40 families in the first year of the program, 131 families signed up for the Christmas Outreach program last year.
“About 98 percent of those who sign up are Hispanic,” Andrijeski said. “Some don’t speak English and a lot are local people that have been coming to us for 10 to 12 years. They’re the working poor.”
One recipient of the baskets was pregnant when she first participated in the program. Her daughter is now 12.
On Monday, the volunteers spent $1,700 on basic provisions at Costco, buying items such as beans, rice, soap, corn, onions and garlic and breaking them into bags for each basket.
“We try to have enough for every family,” Andrijeski said. “We give the excess to the larger families but this year we’re really low because we didn’t get as many donations.”
Families are also given a $30 gift card to Target so they can purchase more food or clothing. The parish also gives out Easter baskets and a gift card to Windmill Market in the spring.
Andrijeski, who lives in Hollister after moving from Aromas, said she got involved with the program simply because “there was a need.” Next year she and the other two couples in charge plan to hand off their coordinating responsibilities to others “so we can get younger people involved.”
However, Andrijeski said they will continue to remain involved with the outreach because the need, no doubt, will remain.
To help
People interested in donating or getting involved with future Easter or Christmas programs can contact the parish at 623-2127.
