Zephyrhills News
Dec 24 2009

A Christmas in Pasco
By Bob Loring
Christmas Eve – 2009

Toys for Tots of East Pasco is pleased to report: total success! Counting all five of our east and central Pasco Toys for Tots distribution sites, we provided toys, food, and other essential items for, drum roll please>>> #4313 fully-registered children. And best of all, as Santa’s “Head Elf,” I can cheerfully report that we, ‘ran out of families before we ran out of toys.’ So dear reader this season we can claim a true holiday success!

This year, I had been worried, our annual post office ‘Letter Carriers’ toy drive had been disappointing. On that important day, foul weather had worked against us, and the number of toys donated was well below last year’s total. We quickly appealed to the community and they overwhelmingly responded, the toy donations for the balance of December climbed. Our toy boxes were lovingly filled by folks all over Pasco. And, by December 19th we were set to distribute a record number of toys to a record number of families in need. What I had hoped would be a “Ho! Ho! Ho! Christmas turned into a “Ho, to the 3rd Power” Christmas.

We are, indeed, a ‘Grass Roots’ program. In fact we’re so grass-root that, if fact, I bumped into a subterranean termite just the other day. This, of course, means that we have many fine folks to thank. Each year it starts with a grandmother purchasing a small toy. Then dropping it into one of our conveniently located Toys for Tots drop boxes. Our area captains, and their team including our faithful firefighters, fetch the toy and it’s transported it to one of our community storage centers. Families are then pre-registered by their local school counselors. The day before our distribution, toys are transported to one of our five local community distribution sites; and there sorted by throngs of joyful community elves. The following day, our honored families line up and are assigned a personal shopper. It’s like they go to Toys R Us store, but there’s no cash register at their shopping spree.

With so very many folks to thank, this year, (Women of the Moose, Food for Tots, Rotary, The Marine Corps League for example) I do wish to commend our highly skilled community Captains: Pastor Dave Raley and his team run the Tri-community, Lacoochee, distribution site; Sylvia Salazar, (she’s been with me since the Christmas of 1999) effectively oversees the Dade City distribution at PHCC; Officer Ken Keith & Dan Conely head the Zephyrhills effort at Alice Hall; Anna Fulk and her team efficiently head-up the Wesley Chapel Elementary school endeavor; and, Pastor Herb Roshell and his lovely wife Stephanie resourcefully lead our, fully blessed, offering in the Land O’ Lakes/Lutz community. These dedicated and committed community leaders are the ‘heart & soul’ of our on going effort to produce a “Holly Jolly” Christmas for thousands of east and central Pasco children. Truly, they deserve the lion’s share of credit for our continual success. Our motto: RUN OUT OF FAMILIES BEFORE WE RUN OUT OF TOYS! And this year my friends, we did just that! Now: bring me some figgy pudding and a Happy New Year! So: Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!