Charities See Surge in Giving

They came hoping for computers and Nintendos and, in the case of one child, a new parrot to replace a late cockatiel.

They left with more modest toys, clothes and full turkey dinners.

And smiles.

On Thursday, families of 75 students at Santa Ana’s Madison Elementary School--in the heart of one of Orange County’s most impoverished neighborhoods--collected gifts and food baskets in a joint program between schoolteachers and staff, and Universal Care, a Signal Hill-based health care provider.

The event was part of Orange County’s annual surge of gift-giving as those who celebrate Christmas made room in their pre-holiday schedule this week to embrace others--often, complete strangers.

“It’s really wonderful this year,” said Madison parent Obdulia Ramirez. “So many families got help this time around.”

Most years, school workers are able to provide up to 15 food baskets for families, said Sandy Torres, the school office manager who has organized the holiday program for 16 years. With Universal Care employees pitching in this year, she said, organizers were able to provide for five times as many families.

The gifts moved in both directions. Children received toys; the givers received perspective.

“It’s strange. When you see a kid, you don’t realize that they don’t know that they’re poor,” said Maria Perez-Flatt, vice president of community outreach for Universal. “That’s why I got into this, because there’s always need out there.”

Need also drives the annual Operation Santa Claus and Senior Santa programs, through which the Orange County Department of Social Services handed out gifts to more than 30,000 clients before halting operations as scheduled on Wednesday, said coordinator Joanne Noyes.

“It was awesome this year,” said Noyes, whose volunteer staff averaged 20 people per day since the program opened Dec. 9. “It was all donations from people in the community.”

Smaller holiday programs dot the county. On Thursday, volunteers entertained about 500 children, mostly from Orange County group homes, at the Disneyland Hotel.

Rayne Lorren, a nightclub promoter, said she pieced the event together by persuading companies and nightclubs to donate everything from cash to pay for the food, to sunglasses, CDs and other items to serve as gifts.

Performers also were pressed into service, providing entertainment that varied from bicycle-riding exhibitions to a stage presentation of “Snow White.”

Lorren, a single mother of three, said this is the second year she has put the event together.

“I think every kid should have a good holiday and be surrounded by people who care,” Lorren said as the event was getting underway.

Similar attitudes in San Clemente helped the Episcopal Service Alliance provide meals to more than 200 families, said Shawn Harding, director of the nonprofit organization’s food bank.

Harding and volunteers spent two weeks creating gift baskets from toys, food and gift certificates donated by local stores, residents and churches.

“It gets dry between Easter and Thanksgiving, but then it just hits,” Harding said of the pre-holiday surge in generosity. “It’s been tremendous. There’s really a lot of stuff here. I wouldn’t even be able to guess how much.”

Santa Ana firefighters also got in the spirit, spending spare moments during the workweek to wrap presents that were to be delivered today to needy families living in Santa Ana motels.

It’s the seventh year the firefighters have involved themselves in holiday giveaways, and the second year they’ve focused on families living in motels.

Up to 200 people are to take part in a special holiday feast at the Villager Lodge on East 1st Street, near the Santa Ana Freeway, about 1:30 p.m. An additional 70 families scattered around Santa Ana will have special holiday meals delivered to them, said Debra Fritz, spokeswoman for the Santa Ana Firemen’s Assn.

Firefighters also will store limited supplies of food and gifts aboard firetrucks to distribute to needy families they encounter on calls, she said.

Some of the supplies came from employees of the Deloitte & Touche accounting firm.

Nidia Chavez, who works in the firm’s purchasing department in Costa Mesa, helped organize the office drive, which netted more than $2,000 in donations during a two-week campaign. That followed about $4,000 raised in April for a similar campaign to provide clothing and food.

“We’re doing it just to help,” Chavez said. “We knew there was a great need.”

*

Times correspondent Eric C Sanitate contributed to this story.