Plenty of gifts for all

Children at Someone Cares gathering each receive two wrapped gifts and a stuffed animal -- for some, the only presents they’ll get.At 11:30 Friday morning, Kriltina Le and several of her children got in line outside the Costa Mesa Community Center. They had to stand for more than an hour to get in, but it was worth the wait.

Each of her children left with two wrapped packages and a stuffed animal -- the only gifts they would get this Christmas. For Le, a Santa Ana resident who has come to the center for the last several years, it was a bountiful offering.

“Last year, they only gave one,” she said.

It was a good year for everyone at the Someone Cares Soup Kitchen, which runs the toy giveaway at the center every December. The organizers amassed more than 4,000 toys over the last two months -- some from the Marines, some from local corporations, others from private donors -- and as a result, were more than able to accommodate every family who came through.

“We were nervous because we didn’t know what would happen,” general manager of Someone Cares Soup Kitchen Shannon Santos said. “After Hurricane Katrina and the other natural disasters, we didn’t know how many toys we were going to get.”

In the community center Friday, children and their parents passed through steadily for three hours, with many of the children sitting on Santa Claus’ lap. Craig Duran, a fire safety worker from Santa Ana whose girlfriend works at the soup kitchen, got the acting job this year.

The rest of the room was lined with tables for different genders and age groups, each one manned by a volunteer who selected two presents for each child. As children left the room, volunteer Ernie Vaca handed them a stuffed toy from a large bin. Vaca, who volunteered along with his sister Alma, has worked at the drive for nine years.

At one point, pointing to the relieved face of a girl who had just received a toy, he said, “Now that is a sign of why you want to keep going.”

A few blocks away on 19th Street, the Someone Cares Soup Kitchen held its annual Christmas dinner with ham, turkey and other holiday staples. People who don’t have a home this holiday season received backpacks containing supplies for the winter months. Many of the visitors, however, were seniors or working-poor families.

Debbee Pezman, the Someone Cares board member who oversaw the meal, said the kitchen took anyone who walked in the door.

“There’s never a question asked,” she said.20051224irzcnhncDON LEACH / DAILY PILOT(LA)Cesar Garcia of hauls off boxes of clothing at the Share Our Selves food and clothing collection at the fairgrounds. 20051224irzcoyncDON LEACH / DAILY PILOT(LA)Diego Ramirez sits in a stroller full of gifts from Someone Cares Soup Kitchen at the Costa Mesa Community Center.