One more story about gift donations.
There was another organization that we worked with over the years that also adopted families during the holiday season. I would get the list of gifts and sizes from the families and pass them on to this organization. They would shop (or we assumed they shopped...more on that later) and then bring all the gifts to their annual Christmas party and wrap them all up. They would deliver to us and we would deliver to the family.
It was the day before Christmas Eve and I was running around town delivering gifts to all of our clients. It was a very cold day and it had snowed the day before. I was going to homes that had not been shoveled out yet, and I had no boots. My feet were getting soaked.
It was also the day of our annual Christmas Luncheon. So after I ran around town all morning playing Santa, I went to lunch with my office. After our lunch we were let out early due to the holiday. But one of our gift donors had to go to a funeral and had not delivered gifts for the last family I had on my list. I had no choice but to sit in an empty office and wait all afternoon for her to arrive.
Now the family that was to be receiving these gifts was a single mom with a very sad story. Her husband had passed away on her wedding anniversary. Her toddler son went to wake up his daddy that morning and he found him dead in his bed. He had died of a brain hemorrhage during the night. Now it was her first Christmas since her husband passed away and I knew it was going to be a difficult one for her. So I was glad we were able to help her make it a special Christmas for her son.
Finally the gifts arrived and mom was soon at my office to pick them up. I was free to go home!
As soon as I got home, I drew a hot bath and soaked in it for a long time. I was thinking about how stressful it was for us at my office because not only do we have to make sure our own families are taken care of at Christmas, but also our clients and their families. I was tired, but I was feeling good that all my clients would have plenty of gifts for their children and a good meal. I breathed a sigh of relief and started to relax and put the day behind me.
I usually took the day after Christmas off from work, but this particular year I decided to go in. I wasn't at work too long when the phone rang. It was the single mom I wrote about above. I knew this wasn't going to be a good call by how upset she sounded. She told me that the gifts she received were old and the toys were broken and had pieces missing and then she sobbed and sobbed, saying it was the worst Christmas she ever had. She could not stop crying.
My heart sank, I felt so awful, there were no words to express how sorry I was. My heart just broke for this poor woman and her son. There was no consoling her. I think getting all that old broken crap for Christmas just put her over the edge. All I could do was apologize and let her vent.
As soon as I hung up from her, I called a few of my other clients and they said they also had received junk!
I called the organization and let them know what happened, they were so sorry. We had been working with this particular organization for years and we never had any problems before. But I guess this particular year they had a few new members who did not follow the rules about buying brand new gifts!
So we changed our rules and told them we would no longer be accepting wrapped gifts from them. We didn't take wrapped gifts from any place else, but they were an extension of our agency and they got to make their own rules. They had insisted on wrapping all of the gifts first because it was part of their tradition at their annual party and it was so much fun for them. They did understand where we were coming from and agreed from now on, only unwrapped gifts!
So coordinating Christmas gifts for needy families taught me many lessons! My first year there I was excited thinking it would be so much fun, but mostly it was very draining. I could write more on this topic, but I think you all get the picture!
There was another organization that we worked with over the years that also adopted families during the holiday season. I would get the list of gifts and sizes from the families and pass them on to this organization. They would shop (or we assumed they shopped...more on that later) and then bring all the gifts to their annual Christmas party and wrap them all up. They would deliver to us and we would deliver to the family.
It was the day before Christmas Eve and I was running around town delivering gifts to all of our clients. It was a very cold day and it had snowed the day before. I was going to homes that had not been shoveled out yet, and I had no boots. My feet were getting soaked.
It was also the day of our annual Christmas Luncheon. So after I ran around town all morning playing Santa, I went to lunch with my office. After our lunch we were let out early due to the holiday. But one of our gift donors had to go to a funeral and had not delivered gifts for the last family I had on my list. I had no choice but to sit in an empty office and wait all afternoon for her to arrive.
Now the family that was to be receiving these gifts was a single mom with a very sad story. Her husband had passed away on her wedding anniversary. Her toddler son went to wake up his daddy that morning and he found him dead in his bed. He had died of a brain hemorrhage during the night. Now it was her first Christmas since her husband passed away and I knew it was going to be a difficult one for her. So I was glad we were able to help her make it a special Christmas for her son.
Finally the gifts arrived and mom was soon at my office to pick them up. I was free to go home!
As soon as I got home, I drew a hot bath and soaked in it for a long time. I was thinking about how stressful it was for us at my office because not only do we have to make sure our own families are taken care of at Christmas, but also our clients and their families. I was tired, but I was feeling good that all my clients would have plenty of gifts for their children and a good meal. I breathed a sigh of relief and started to relax and put the day behind me.
I usually took the day after Christmas off from work, but this particular year I decided to go in. I wasn't at work too long when the phone rang. It was the single mom I wrote about above. I knew this wasn't going to be a good call by how upset she sounded. She told me that the gifts she received were old and the toys were broken and had pieces missing and then she sobbed and sobbed, saying it was the worst Christmas she ever had. She could not stop crying.
My heart sank, I felt so awful, there were no words to express how sorry I was. My heart just broke for this poor woman and her son. There was no consoling her. I think getting all that old broken crap for Christmas just put her over the edge. All I could do was apologize and let her vent.
As soon as I hung up from her, I called a few of my other clients and they said they also had received junk!
I called the organization and let them know what happened, they were so sorry. We had been working with this particular organization for years and we never had any problems before. But I guess this particular year they had a few new members who did not follow the rules about buying brand new gifts!
So we changed our rules and told them we would no longer be accepting wrapped gifts from them. We didn't take wrapped gifts from any place else, but they were an extension of our agency and they got to make their own rules. They had insisted on wrapping all of the gifts first because it was part of their tradition at their annual party and it was so much fun for them. They did understand where we were coming from and agreed from now on, only unwrapped gifts!
So coordinating Christmas gifts for needy families taught me many lessons! My first year there I was excited thinking it would be so much fun, but mostly it was very draining. I could write more on this topic, but I think you all get the picture!
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5 comments:
It's amazing that anyone would think that wrapped-up junk is a gift. Reminds me of the scene in THE HOMECOMING in which the little girl receives a doll with a cracked face.
Horrid! So how does one possibly go about undoing this? How could they NOT know they had wrapped junk?
Last week someone, or several people, broke into the storage space of the local "Toys for Tots" program and made off with a few thousand dollars worth of toys.
I wonder who was more needier than whom.
I am all caught up with you now, and am sorry I somehow missed these posts!
I am happy that you managed to do the right thing for YOU with moving. Often, I think we move to fast for all the wrong reasons. I am sure the house will go to someone who will love it nearly as much as you.
And your Christmas stories are unbelievable, although I guess not really. I learned some of this the hard way myself, several years ago when I was once involved with helping the community. I was then and still am stunned that others would think that giving old, used up things would be a good idea on any level. It's like the food drive that we are having at work. Everyone brough in EXPIRED food out of their own pantries. Good hell..
I hope life eases up on you a bit now. You have earned some easy time. Big hugs, friend. :)
This is a sad story! We collected gifts and food at work this year for an organization. I was really disappointed in the participation. Why would the staff rather participate in a secret Santa than give to those who could really benefit from a $20 gift? I just don't know. I thought that because we didn't do the gift exchange everyone would do the donation. Not.
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