Hurricane Michael has not received as much media attention as other big storms of the past but for the folks living on the Florida gulf coast the storm was devastating. For most of them it has been two solid months of total rebuilding.
Ernesto Diaz has been there much of that time. As an electrician, his skills have been employed in non-stop service, working six days a week, since the week of the storm. He has been back to his Georgia home only once in that time frame.
As a former beneficiary of Santa’s Sleigh, Ernesto couldn’t help but look forward to both Christmas and Thanksgiving for some of the families he has met. He spoke to the pastor of his church, Temple View Baptist, about what they could do. Over the course of weeks a plan started to formulate.
When their list of families grew the good pastor of Temple View Baptist contacted us and asked for a little help. In looking at the good year we have had it didn’t seem to be too much to ask that we find a way. The goal for these eight families was to supply them with food and whatever cooking materials they lacked to be able to host their own Thanksgiving in their own homes — a thought that was impossible to imagine just a couple of months ago.
Inspired by a church member who is donating her home garden grown onions, an effort was made to secure as many fresh ingredients as we could. I live miles away but where I live it is potato country. We enjoy these huge russet potatoes that we purchase from Idaho farmers in 50 pound bags. These potatoes are massive, nearly the size of footballs in some cases. We buy them in the fall and they last all winter and into the spring. Without much thought of how we were going to get them there I borrowed a truck to get eight 50 pound sacks as well as a good variety of other potatoes (reds and golds). The cost of these were minimal to Santa’s sleigh and would last those folks a long, long time.
On the way home I also stopped at a local Pepperidge Farm facility, which is also near my home. Rolling the dice, I wondered if they had any of their great stuffing left or if it had all been shipped out to stores. Luckily, I caught the right man there on a Saturday who heard my story and took care of business. He said they had plenty of stuffing they could send for those eight families. He asked me how we wanted to get them there and I told him I would just ship them with the potatoes. He asked me how many I had so I showed him.
From his cell phone he summoned a guy with a fork lift who brought out a pallet and together we loaded the pototoes and the stuffing. They wrapped the pallet right in front of me and marked it for a truck that was heading out that night. No charge.
We ran into a similar generous gesture from Associated Foods. They responded to our request for discounted turkeys by providing them for free — all turkeys over 20 pounds, two for each family (one for Thanksgiving and one for Christmas).
Concerned that maybe some families couldn’t store two birds we spoke with Ernesto. He said it could be a problem but using contacts at Associated Foods a local grocer offered to store them for those who could not.
At the grocery store someone heard what was underway. Another church, this one local, got involved and began to investigate. Who needed refrigerators?
Five of those families needed them. Phone calls were made. Within days Ernesto and his team were moving in refrigerators where they were needed.
There will be Thanksgiving for folks in the storm zone this year. It will be different but in many ways it will be sweeter.
Our thanks go out to many people. But especially to Ernesto.
“When Santa’s sleigh helped us through a Christmas several years ago I didn’t understand it,” Ernesto said. “My son was sick, I was hurt and not working. It was an unhappy time. Santa’s sleigh eased that burden a little bit. It feels good to be on the other side of it. I understand it now much better.”
Santa’s Sleigh Delivers
We’re pleased to announce Santa’s Sleigh is wrapping up its deliveries for 2018 this weekend.
Santa’s Sleigh kicked off the season with a Thanksgiving effort in northern Floriday, helping families in the storm zone from Hurricane Michael to enjoy Thanksgiving in their own homes.
Also, over the course of two Saturdays Santa’s Sleigh sponsored “Shop-with-a-Cop” activities in six rural communities where such events are quite unusual. These fun, inexpensive activites help mentor disadvantaged youth in Christmas cheer as they look to gift a little Christmas to other children, seniors and families in their communities. This effort began in two communities a year ago and this year expanded to communities in rural Utah, Idaho, Wyomng and Montana.
This weekend the work of Santa’s Sleigh continues with our traditional deliveries aimed at helping families in need and others facing difficult situations. By the end of day on Sunday, December 23rd, Santa’s Sleigh will have delivered paid utility bills, groceries, Christmas trees and small gifts to eight families in Florida, California, Texas, Arkansas, Massachusetts, Utah, and Idaho.
Each of these families are sponsored by a Church or service organization who deliver the gifts of Santa’s Sleigh on our behalf. That way they do not know who does the gifting and need only enjoy the Christmas holiday knowing that Santa is looking out for them.
Thank you for your generous support this year. We look forward to beginning these efforts again in the New Year.
Blessings of Gratitude
Hurricane Michael has not received as much media attention as other big storms of the past but for the folks living on the Florida gulf coast the storm was devastating. For most of them it has been two solid months of total rebuilding.
Ernesto Diaz has been there much of that time. As an electrician, his skills have been employed in non-stop service, working six days a week, since the week of the storm. He has been back to his Georgia home only once in that time frame.
As a former beneficiary of Santa’s Sleigh, Ernesto couldn’t help but look forward to both Christmas and Thanksgiving for some of the families he has met. He spoke to the pastor of his church, Temple View Baptist, about what they could do. Over the course of weeks a plan started to formulate.
When their list of families grew the good pastor of Temple View Baptist contacted us and asked for a little help. In looking at the good year we have had it didn’t seem to be too much to ask that we find a way. The goal for these eight families was to supply them with food and whatever cooking materials they lacked to be able to host their own Thanksgiving in their own homes — a thought that was impossible to imagine just a couple of months ago.
Inspired by a church member who is donating her home garden grown onions, an effort was made to secure as many fresh ingredients as we could. I live miles away but where I live it is potato country. We enjoy these huge russet potatoes that we purchase from Idaho farmers in 50 pound bags. These potatoes are massive, nearly the size of footballs in some cases. We buy them in the fall and they last all winter and into the spring. Without much thought of how we were going to get them there I borrowed a truck to get eight 50 pound sacks as well as a good variety of other potatoes (reds and golds). The cost of these were minimal to Santa’s sleigh and would last those folks a long, long time.
On the way home I also stopped at a local Pepperidge Farm facility, which is also near my home. Rolling the dice, I wondered if they had any of their great stuffing left or if it had all been shipped out to stores. Luckily, I caught the right man there on a Saturday who heard my story and took care of business. He said they had plenty of stuffing they could send for those eight families. He asked me how we wanted to get them there and I told him I would just ship them with the potatoes. He asked me how many I had so I showed him.
From his cell phone he summoned a guy with a fork lift who brought out a pallet and together we loaded the pototoes and the stuffing. They wrapped the pallet right in front of me and marked it for a truck that was heading out that night. No charge.
We ran into a similar generous gesture from Associated Foods. They responded to our request for discounted turkeys by providing them for free — all turkeys over 20 pounds, two for each family (one for Thanksgiving and one for Christmas).
Concerned that maybe some families couldn’t store two birds we spoke with Ernesto. He said it could be a problem but using contacts at Associated Foods a local grocer offered to store them for those who could not.
At the grocery store someone heard what was underway. Another church, this one local, got involved and began to investigate. Who needed refrigerators?
Five of those families needed them. Phone calls were made. Within days Ernesto and his team were moving in refrigerators where they were needed.
There will be Thanksgiving for folks in the storm zone this year. It will be different but in many ways it will be sweeter.
Our thanks go out to many people. But especially to Ernesto.
“When Santa’s sleigh helped us through a Christmas several years ago I didn’t understand it,” Ernesto said. “My son was sick, I was hurt and not working. It was an unhappy time. Santa’s sleigh eased that burden a little bit. It feels good to be on the other side of it. I understand it now much better.”
Operation Christmas Cheer 2018 Kicks Off
In many cases, these folks are the elderly. These are people who do not get out much, perhaps are lonely and do not receive many visitors, or others in situations that prevent them from enjoying much socially at Christmas.
Sometimes these are folks who are ill or perhaps folks who have suffered from a natural disaster. These are people who, for whatever reason, just need a little Christmas cheer.
These are frequently people we know. They live near us or are perhaps even family members.
Their situation, in the end, is not really important. We just want to think of them and send some love.
If you know of someone in this situation, please submit their mailing information at this link.
Then stay tuned for the announcement at the Merry Forums of MyMerryChristmas.com for when the list becomes available. We will publish the first version of the list just after Thanksgiving. But this year, because there are many late submissions, we will keep updating the list all the through about December 19th.
Santa’s Sleigh Spends $41.78
I cannot take her anywhere, it seems, without running into to someone she knows.
Once we were on a cruise in the middle of the Pacific ocean. She got to talking to a lady while we waited for a show to begin and discovered a neighbor from her childhood. This kind of thing happens ALL the time with her.
This week she has been driving kids from my daughter’s choir group to various venues. They are performing Christmas music in churches and nursing homes and such. While at a performance my wife met an elderly lady she connected with. After talking with her for a while she came home and said, “Give me the credit card to Santa’s Sleigh, I’ve got a project”.
Last night I came home to my wife all aglow with the Christmas spirit. Gleefully she handed me receipts tallying $41.78.
This sweet lady was moved to this local facility by a son of hers last April. She has not has a visitor from her family since. Sandy got to talking to her and it was her desire to send a Christmas card to her grandchildren and great grandchildren in Montana. Sandy talked her into letting her come pick her up and take her out to get those cards.
They spent five hours together. Sandy got from her a recipe for some bread she plans to make, at this lady’s request. They laughed and, of course, cried, over all they had in common. Sandy was able to talk her into getting a “few little things” and mailing them with her at the post office so that her grandchildren would get a little more than a card for Christmas “from their Gram”.
I honestly cannot say who benefit more from this visit. I personally have not met this lady yet but she sounds wonderful. Sandy told her all about Santa’s Sleigh and My Merry Christmas and this lady got all fired up and asked how she could get into the Christmas Card exchange next year. I have a feeling this may change how the exchange grows down the road.
In any event, this was one of the more personal associations with Santa’s Sleigh and I want to encourage more like this. Too often we say “I haven’t the time” or “I wish I could…” and I think what my wife teaches me over and over is that we DO have time and just deny ourselves opportunities to serve others in this way.
I hope you will consider reaching out in your community and if you find even a small need that Santa’s Sleigh can help with — even one as small as $41.78 — then we want to help.
This is what we do.
It’s never about the money. It’s about the heart. And often it is as good medicine for us as it is for the people we’re helping.
Learning to Receive
Things were so rushed and we both were so exhausted that it was more like our normal weekly date night. I asked her what she felt like eating and as usual she gave a non-specific response. Without even thinking I pointed the car south to a special place about 30 minutes from our home that we only go to rarely because it is expensive. Honestly my thought was that if we went there I would end up spending more time with her because it was so far away.
Due to my present employment situation we don’t have cell phones. I didn’t plan where we were going and because we had already left we didn’t tell anyone.
It was a nice drive and by the time we got to the restaurant we had had a few laughs about our situation. As we stood in line my wife put her arms around my shoulders and wished me a happy anniversary. I joked that maybe in another 25 years I’d have my stuff together so that we could celebrate an proper anniversary. She laughed. This was said rather quietly and we were soon seated.
We had a great meal and a good time together. When the check came I handed over my credit card but our server came back just moments later, the ticket zeroed out with a big “Happy Anniversary!” at the top. Someone had anonymously paid our check.
It more than made our day. As we drove back home we discussed how we can reciprocate in some way and the answer, of course, is Santa’s Sleigh. So this morning we loaded a little more into Santa’s sack.
Funny how things work out. For as ugly as things are in the world today and for as grim as things appear to be heading over these next few months I take great courage in the fact there is still such goodness in the world.