Plate of Cookies Leads to Baskets of Welcome

When Donna Santa Maria moved into the older, well-established community between Golden West and Edwards streets a couple of years ago, a neighbor brought her a plate of cookies.

Santa Maria appreciated the small gesture so much that she wanted to pass it on, and is now chairing a group that greets other newcomers.

Golden West Neighborhood Assn. has established a Welcome Committee to make new residents of their single-family community, as well as those of a nearby new-home development, feel at home.

“It’s just a way . . . to let them know that we’re all here for each other,” said Judy Secor, a 21-year resident of the older 563-home tract, built more than 30 years ago. The new project, now under construction, will add 58 houses on a former school site.

When new families move into a community, “they don’t know their neighbors, where the grocery store is,” Santa Maria said. “I want everybody to know everybody else and feel comfortable about moving in.”

This week, committee members are putting together “welcoming baskets” for new residents of both the old and the new homes in the neighborhood, where block parties are common and an annual picnic and garage sale are the custom.

The baskets consist of coupons and brochures from nearby businesses, information about Neighborhood Watch meetings, schedules for trash pickup and street sweeping, and telephone numbers of baby sitters, churches, recreation programs and even hot lines.

Also included in each basket is a welcome letter from the neighborhood association and gifts such as a toothbrush packet donated by a local dentist and a recipe booklet for teas and scones.

The basket project is “a great tool for getting to know the people you live around,” Santa Maria said.