At Santa Maria Fire Station 1, three donation bins have already been set up, signaling the start of the 12th annual Season of Hope, the largest toy and food drive on the Central Coast.
That means from now through December 15, you are invited to come by any fire station in Santa Maria, or one of the dozens of other locations in both Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties, to drop off new, unwrapped toys, or nonperishable food for local families in need.
“What we do is, we go around the community asking for donations for the toys,” said Daniel Cadena, the area coordinator for Toys for Tots. “We work hand in hand with CommUnify, our nonprofit, and they are the ones that identify the families and see how many families are out there.”
As part of the Season of Hope initiative, our team at KSBY partners up with local nonprofit organizations and agencies across the region, and Ralph Ybarra, program manager with CommUnify, says the demand during the holiday season continues to grow.
“With minimum wage and a lot of deterrents happening right now. In the last few years, we have seen our registration numbers rise drastically and we definitely need the support of our community,” he told KSBY.
He says if you are interested in being a recipient of the Season of Hope drive, his team at CommUnify will hold its first registration event on October 20 at 201 W Chapel in Santa Maria.
“Each CommUnify regional office has the ability to take in those applications and reach out to those families,” Ybarra added.
Ybarra says he has been taking part in the annual Season of Hope campaign for the past several years, adding that community support is essential for making the holiday season brighter for those in need.
“It is actually magical to see the school districts come together to volunteer, firefighters, community helpers,” Ybarra explained. “For me, it is just great to see all of us come together.”
Meanwhile, new Santa Maria Fire Chief, Brad Dandridge says this is his very first year taking part in the campaign, adding that he and his team at the Fire Department are ready to help give back.
“I am excited to be able to host the kickoff here at our Fire Station 1, and I would encourage all of the community who can, to help make this holiday season bright for those in need, by donating nonperishable food or a toy at any one of our fire stations,” Chief Dandridge said.
Daniel Cadena says additional donation sites can be found at select car dealerships and businesses in the area.
You can find out how to become a recipient of Season of Hope here: https://www.ksby.com/community/season-of-hope
