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Longshoremen's union plays Santa to needy children
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More from Local NewsStacked onto one side of the International Longshoremen's & Warehousemen's Union Hall at the Port of Hueneme were the wishes of 175 needy children all bundled together under a tree.
"A lot of these children know not to hope for a whole lot at Christmas," said Maj. Cheryl Lo of the Salvation Army in Oxnard and Port Hueneme.
The gifts will be given out Friday, along with food for a hearty holiday meal.
"We're trying to help parents provide a nice Christmas for their children," Lo said.
When she came by to collect the toys from the union hall, she told the members that for some kids, this will be the only toy they have.
"I've been to the home with five little girls and not once seen them with a toy except the ones we gave them," Lo said.
The local charity hooked up with members of the Longshoremen's union with what they call the "angel card," a wish from the Christmas list of a specific child fulfilled by a specific union member.
"We had guys go all out," said Warren Shelton, secretary dispatcher of Local 46 of the ILWU. "Some of our members adopted a whole family."
Bikes, dolls, matchbox cars and an assortment of toys and clothes were all bought by union members for children in Oxnard or Port Hueneme.
Union member Siupolu Belaustegui — a single mother who raised two daughters on her own — wanted to help out a family.
"I raised my two kids, and I know how hard that is for any single parent," Belaustegui said.
Joe Gavin, a mechanic, said he got his own three children involved. His kids were so into it that they went out and bought a gift for other children on the list, he said.
"They really opened up to the idea," Gavin said. "They really wanted to do it."
Last year, the union adopted two local grade schools and focused their holiday giving on that. This year's Angel Card program feels much more personal, said Harbor Commissioner Jesse Ramirez, who was at the union hall to help hand the toys over to the Salvation Army this week.
This was nice because the giving wasn't so anonymous, he said. If you bought the gift, you knew that this was something the child really wanted.
"It was personal," he said.
Posted by shelby862 on December 20, 2007 at 8:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Coming from a longshoremens wife, this is so touching.... I am so glad to hear a great story like this. Thank you ILWU 46, Happy Holidays
God Bless
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