Thursday, December 13, 2018
Dave and his family had spent several hours well into the night before sorting the boxes of toys, coats and boots into groups for boys and girls of all ages so that when a family showed up the next morning with a list of their children’s age and sex, his “helpers” would be able to go right to the correct box which not only saved a lot of time during the distribution, but also let them know when they ran out of a particular size.
Before 9 a.m. the Tipi Waste parking lot was filling up and the line was forming. Most were parents and grandparents picking up the items, including the toys that would be wrapped and placed under the tree so that what Santa brought their children would be a surprise on Christmas morning.
A few families had children with them, and for them Dave had a little extra pre-Christmas gift.
Throughout the morning it was what might appear as “managed chaos” as dozens of cars were parked every which way, but in fact was quite orderly as the Pine Ridge families waited patiently in line.
Because each family had their own customized list, it wasn’t just a matter of handing them all the same thing – and that’s where Dave’s family members shined behind the scenes filling big plastic garbage bags with the items for the children on their lists.
For Dave it’s more than just a job for him to be able to ensure that hundreds of his neighbors will have a Merry Christmas and a joyous start to the new year.
