Postal Workers Play Santa to Kids in Need

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 Los Angeles 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. Burbank, La Canada and Glendale post office branches also were involved in the drive.

The donated toys--which included bikes, games, dolls, cars, clothes and computer games--were unloaded from the postal trucks and placed in steel carts amid cheers and carols from 100 social workers gathered 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 years.

“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. Swanson started the drive in 1998 when he worked at the North Hollywood office. That year, postal workers donated 350 toys and more than tripled that number last year when they collected 1,100 toys.

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

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

The cards were made available to postal workers, who played Santa Claus by making the children’s wishes come true.

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

“I hope they say, ‘All right. There is someone out there who cares about me,’ ” he said. “As long as the child is happy, that’s what it’s all about.”