There are lots of organizations that collect toys, clothing, and food for families in need during the holidays, so it's not hard to find someone to help, and it's not easy choosing where to spread the gifts you might have to offer.
One event that I really wanted to participate in this year, though, was the annual Toys for Tots "Stuff the Bus" campaign, sponsored in part by one of the Bay Area radio stations I listen to. In exchange for bringing by a new, unwrapped toy, the radio station will give you a holiday-themed CD. From what I understand, there is a whole group of people that attend every year, and have built up quite a collection of holiday CDs.
Even without the gift, though, I really wanted to participate in the event. I had gone to a local hobby shop and picked up a few arts n' craft kits, and because I had plans for the rest of the afternoon, I made sure to be there bright and early for the start of the event. I knew it would be a relatively quick exchange - they handing me the CD as I hand over the toys. What I didn't expect, though, was the fanfare.
Fully uniformed Marines in their dress blues stood at attention and helped direct my car down the special lane in the street that was blocked off for this purpose. And at the end of the line stood a complete army of yelling, jumping, cheering Girl Scouts and their parents (a lot of them fathers, I was so happy to see), and as we did the exchange of items, what touched me more was the exchange of words: "Thank you for helping kids like me!" "Happy holidays!" "Thank you for changing lives!!"
It's what stayed with me later when I was telling about the event to a friend of mine: "...and there were all these kids and they were running to keep pace with my car, and waving hello, and clapping. And behind them were a bunch of adults yelling just as loudly over their heads and waving with just as much enthusiasm."
And then, as an afterthought, "Oh ya, and I got this CD."
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