Editor,

On Wednesday, December 18, the Annual Loaves and Fishes Holiday Project in partnership with Toys for Tots/ Kiwanis, Coats for Kids, and the Salvation Army celebrated another year of Christmas Giving at the Armory. Volunteers distributed toys, food, and coats to 245 families (896 people, of which 426 were children).

Our special thanks goes out to our amazing Project Team Leaders and all the other individuals that did their parts and made it possible to provide a little merrier Holiday Season for those families. We are also grateful to the following groups and businesses: Grocery Outlet, Von’s, Smart & Final, Lube N Go, Miner’s, Bay Laurel, U-Stor-It, the Duckett-Wilson Development Co., the Mom’s Club of Atascadero, Public Works/a Volunteer Policeman, Waste Management, Escuela Del Rio, as well as AUSD and Children’s House Montessori students. We would also like to extend our appreciation to the people who collected food through School Drives, their churches, Service Organizations, volunteering in front of markets, and putting collections barrels in their businesses. The food was moved to storage and later moved to the Armory by our wonderful transportation squad. Numerous students and community volunteers then sorted and boxed all the food. Our final thanks go to all of you who opened your hearts and so generously donated items and money. In the true spirit of giving, we all worked together, making this project yet again a huge success.

Jeanne and Carl Robbins

2019 Christmas Project Coordinator