Making a list and checking it twice are FISH volunteers, from left: Ellen Scheinfeld, James Bell of Life Ticket Church – waving in the back row – Susan Markel, and Gracy Olmeda, another volunteer from Life Ticket Church. Photo by Andrea Worker.
Robyn Kampf thinks it was about forty (Yes, 4-0!) years ago that she first got involved in the Herndon-Reston Friendly Instant Sympathetic Help (FISH) holiday toy and food drive. “I’m not in charge any more, [she ran the event for several years] but it continues on, always in good hands and doing good things.”
This year the nonprofit will play “Santa’s Helpers” for 160 families whose children would be facing a less-than-Merry-Christmas without all of the people, organizations, schools, clubs and companies who donated toys, food items and gift cards, along with their time to collect, sort and distribute what was collected. “I know without this help,” said Maria A. of Herndon, “we just couldn’t make Christmas for our kids, even though my husband and me both work. There’s just not enough money left over.”
The United Christian Parish Church in Reston provided the venue for this year’s distribution, which took place on Saturday, Dec. 17 and Sunday, the 18. The FISH volunteers had the room well set up with tables of toys organized by type – Legos, dolls, board games, etc. – and then again by age group so as each adult entered, making their choices was a breeze, while other volunteers helped keep the youngsters occupied in the lobby area. Wouldn’t want them to get a sneak peek at what’s in store for Christmas morning!
In addition to the toy give-away, each family received some goodies for the adults, as well, and gift cards to Safeway and Target to make sure the holiday was truly bright.
Some of those toy items were pretty big and shopping bags got a bit heavy, but the FISH folks were ready to lend a helping hand getting things out to cars. There was even a volunteer cheerfully helping to wrap and decorate packages in another room in the church complex. Again, no little ones allowed in that space while the wrapping was underway.
On the weekend before Christmas there was probably a lot of things the volunteers could have been doing to prepare for their own festivities, but as volunteer Ellen Scheinfeld put it, “What better way to really prepare for Christmas? I’m happy to be here.”