Delivering Holiday Cheer

It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas on Monday as a caravan of 13 postal trucks delivered 3,000 toys to the North Hollywood office of the county Department of Children and Family Services.

Postal employees from nine San Fernando Valley branch offices bought presents for needy children, mostly victims of abuse and neglect, who are living in foster care or group homes.

The donated toys, which included bikes, games, dolls, cars, clothes and computer games, were unloaded and placed in steel carts amid cheers and carols from social workers in the parking lot.

The social workers will distribute the gifts to the children who make up their caseloads, officials said. A typical caseload includes about 40 to 45 children ranging in age from newborn to 18.

“Some of these families are so poor that all of their money goes to food and clothes,” said Rosie Cacho, a social worker who has been involved with the program since it began in 1998. “You can see how relieved they are when they receive the gifts, because they don’t have any extra money to spend. Even the smallest gift is well received.”

The toy drive was organized by Robert Swanson, postmaster of the Woodland Hills office. He began the drives in 1998 when he worked at the North Hollywood office. That year, postal workers donated 350 toys; last year, the number was 1,100.

“This has been incredible,” he said. “It just keeps growing every year.”

As in years past, social workers gave cards to the 3,000 children served by social workers in the North Hollywood office and asked them to fill out their name, age and desired toy, said office coordinator Dede Kuper.

The cards were given to postal workers, who fulfilled the wishes.

“When I was young, I used to go to a community center where I would get a gift,” said postal worker Albert Sanchez. “I am just giving back.”

His hope, Sanchez said, is that the children say to themselves, “All right, there is someone out there who cares about me.”

“As long as the child is happy, that’s what it’s all about,” he said.