HUNTINGTON BEACH : Rekindling Holiday Spirit for Family

When Teri Chavez called the Fire Department for help, her request was an unusual one. She wasn’t reporting a blaze or a medical emergency--she was seeking a bit of holiday relief from a financial burden she has carried since her husband died in January 1994.

Now the widowed mother of three girls, Chavez supports herself and her daughters on $900 a month in benefits that she has received since her husband of 12 years was killed in a car accident. Their tight budget leaves very little for extras such as Christmas presents.

Chavez heard through a friend about Firefighters Care Program, which uses surplus firefighter association dues to help families in need year-round and especially during the holidays.

A call last week to firefighter Ron Stocking, head of the program, led to a celebration Tuesday, when Stocking and three of his colleagues delivered to the Chavez home a boxful of presents and gift certificates to local food and toy stores.

Chavez, who said she is taking classes at Golden West College so she can earn a better living for herself and her daughters, described the windfall as a gift from God.

For Stocking, who has been a firefighter for eight years, helping people is one of the benefits of his job. “I feel the need to give something back to the community,” he said. “It feels good.”