BREA : Volunteers to Prepare Gift Baskets

For the 37th year, needy families will receive holiday food baskets and toys from the Brea Community Emergency Council, a volunteer organization supported by local service clubs, PTAs and merchants.

“It’s a wonderful group,” said Judy Campos, who manages the city of Brea’s human services division. “They (the volunteers) assist all year round, just not with the baskets. They do everything from paying utility bills and prescriptions to buying eyeglasses.”

The city works with the Emergency Council, Campos said, by screening people who have applied for assistance. To be eligible for the holiday baskets, applicants must live in Brea and show proof of financial need.

“We use the same income criteria that the schools use for their hot lunch program,” Campos said. Applications for the holiday baskets are being accepted through Dec. 9.

Volunteers will begin assembling the baskets at 5 p.m. Dec. 15 in Pioneer Hall at Elm Street and Madrona Avenue in Brea. Among the workers will be city employees, high school students, Scouts, service club members and the Active Christians Today group from St. Angela Merici Catholic Church.

“It’s a very rewarding experience,” said Emergency Council president Jill Kimble.

Contents of the baskets are determined by the sizes of families and the children’s ages, Kimble said. Names of recipients are kept confidential.

Kimble said it takes about $5,000 to pay for the food baskets. The nonprofit Brea Foundation has supported the holiday program for the past two years, and merchants are solicited for donations.

Information on applying for holiday baskets or assisting the Emergency Council is available from the city Community Services Department, at (714) 990-7776.