SANTA ANA : Needy Families Get Big Christmas Boxes

The Christmas carols, parades and decorations that in most years would fill Rosa with holiday cheer were distressing reminders this year of her family’s money problems.

Rosa’s husband had trouble finding work, forcing her to tighten the family budget. As Christmas rolled around, said the Santa Ana woman, who did not want her last name used, her family was unable to afford gifts.

But on Wednesday, Rosa got some help.

The Southwest Community Center in Santa Ana provided her family with one of the 150-pound boxes full of food and holiday gifts that are being distributed this week to 700 county families.

Canned goods, turkeys, toys and even some brand-new bicycles are included in some of the packages, which are valued at more than $100 each, said Tyrone Tripp, president of the center.

The boxes go to families who earlier in the year applied for holiday packs. As many as 60 people at one time lined up at the center this week to pick up their boxes, making for a confusing but satisfying experience, Tripp said.

“It feels great to do this,” he said.

On Wednesday, the small building on a residential street in Santa Ana was bustling as people lined up for the gift baskets.

“I feel lucky. We never expected so much,” Rosa said.

The center has been handing out Christmas goodies for 22 years. Most food and other merchandise was donated by charity groups, businesses and individuals. But because the toy drive was less successful than expected, the center had to spend $4,700 of its own money to buy gifts.

Throughout the year, the Southwest Community Center offers free meals to the hungry.