But the volunteer staff doesn’t have time to sit around and celebrate.
They’re busy making sure that hundreds of families in Bee County enjoy a festive holiday meal and open gifts from Santa this Christmas.
“We have about 400 families on a waiting list, and that represents about 1,200 children and 240 disabled or senior citizens,” said Bettye Hale, executive director of the Vineyard. “And for many of those families, especially the disabled or senior citizens who live alone, the Christmas Angels project is their only source of food and gifts during the Christmas holiday.”
Likewise, the only toys and gifts many children will receive this year will come from the Christmas Angels project, she said.
Registration for the Beeville Vineyard’s 25th annual Christmas Angels project started Nov. 3 and ended when 400 families names were collected.
Since its inception in 1984, the Christmas Angels project has relied on the generous contributions from area businesses and individuals.
The annual giveaway project has been a U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots approved agency since 1998. Approximately one-half of the gifts given out come from Toys for Tots and the remainder from the Beeville community.
The Food Bank of Corpus Christi provides hundreds of boxes of food each year to the Christmas Angels project at half price.
Wreaths, trees and collection boxes bearing blue snowmen (boys) and pink angels (girls) with various ages are placed in stores around town in mid-November so that shoppers can purchase items for a boy or girl on the list. As the items are purchased, the snowmen and angels are removed from the wreaths, trees and boxes until gifts have been purchased for all the children.
Area churches supplied toiletries, gift wrap, crayons and candy canes. Schools in Bee County regularly collect food.
“Lacks Furniture just called and told us they had a truckload or two of food for Christmas Angels,” Hale said Wednesday.
Scout packs regularly donate items, as well as making wreaths and decorations.
Starting in December, families may “shop” for the gifts in the Christmas Angels shop adjacent to the Vineyard.
Parents of each child, newborn to 15, are given 15 minutes to select two gifts or toys from the display. They also receive age-appropriate Christmas coloring books, crayons, plush animals and stocking stuffers. Their families receive food and toiletries. In addition, elderly and disabled registrants receive gifts.
The children’s gifts are wrapped by volunteers.
“In addition to the 24-member Christmas Angels committee, dozens of volunteers clock more than 4,000 hours between Oct. 15 and Jan. 15 each year,” Hale added. “Many are from local churches, retired school personnel, Navy-Army Credit Union, Christus Spohn Beeville and H-E-B Food Store, local cheerleaders, A.C. Jones High School Key Club and Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Coastal Bend College students.”
Albert and Barbara McGuill once again volunteered to sort the food each morning and fill the sacks.
“Each family is given a time to show up to do their shopping,” Hale explained. “We have all the toys arranged by age group and the bags of food all ready to go when they show up, so it moves pretty fast.”
The bag of groceries contained canned vegetables, dessert items, stuffing and other goodies.
Last year State Rep. Yvonne Gonzales Toureilles donated 50 frozen turkeys. She’ll do the same this year, Hale said.
Shopping ends Dec. 15 or 16 but already some 200 people on the list have left the Christmas Angels shop with arms full of food and gifts.
More toys are needed, especially gifts for all teenagers, Hale said.
That’s because the Vineyard also sponsors the annual Angel Tree program, which provides gifts to children whose parents are incarcerated in prison.
The Angel Tree program will hand out the toys on Dec. 18.
The Vineyard receives the names of the children from the Prison Ministry.
“We still need toys for the Angel Tree program,” Hale said.
She attributes the success of the Christmas Angels project and the Angel Tree program to the generosity of the people of Bee County and South Texas.
“We couldn’t continue to help so many families year after year without the support of the community and businesses in the area,” she said.
“A huge outpouring of food, toys, gifts and volunteers made (last year’s) the best Christmas Angels project that we can remember!”
To donate gifts or to volunteer, call Hale at 358-7500 or 358-2075.
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