By David Taylor / Managing Editor
For decades, one of the most important tasks performed by North Shore Rotarians is the giving of food at Christmas to families who are in need. This year was a little different. The need was greater than ever.
“We used to do this at the Holiday Inn in Channelview when we met there for our meetings,” said Danna Nino, president of the North Shore Rotary Club.
“The county would send us some help that morning, we would assemble all the baskets, have a brief meeting and eat lunch, then Rotarians would take the names and fan out across the community and deliver them to the homes,” she said.
It was a great time of bonding for Rotarians who went in groups of two or three and many saw for themselves the great need for the families. Some Rotarians told stories of members reaching into their own pockets and giving them money to help. It became a heartstring touching time to visit the family and see the children themselves.
“We could see the surprise on their face when they opened their door and the tears of gratitude,” said past president Bill Palko. “We miss that part of the process, but it’s more important that they actually receive the food.” Palko said they could see the struggle of the families and knew it was money they could now spend on presents instead of food.
Unfortunately, a lot of the addresses they had been given were to homes that were vacant or the family didn’t live there.
“The families knew they were getting the baskets, but we couldn’t find them,” Nino said.
Rotarians, being practical, wanted to ensure the families were receiving the help they desperately needed and in a timely fashion, so they changed the process about five years ago.
“It takes the fun out of it for us because we don’t get to deliver them anymore, but this 100 percent ensures that the families that need it, receive it,” she said.
Now, the school, which provides the names for the students in need through counselors and the nurses office, can call the families when the food arrives, and they come and pick it up.
“We pack it all up here at the North Shore Rotary Pavilion on Wallisville Road, the school districts send box trucks to pick up their allotment, and then they deliver them to each of their campuses in the district. The schools then notify the families that the food is ready for pickup,” she described the process.
Nino also said that they really couldn’t leave the baskets on the doorsteps if no one was home because some of the food was perishable and wildlife, pets, or bugs could also get into the baskets.
“That meant us having to come back to homes at 7 or 8 at night which wasn’t always a good thing either,” she said.
For years, they have been packing 250 baskets, but this year, they increased it to 300 because of the need.
“In that basket, they get everything they need to provide a full meal for Christmas day,” Palko said.
“They’ll get potatoes, yams, rice, beans, macaroni and cheese, flour, oil, corn meal, and a meat,” he said.
The funds to buy the food comes from money raised at their annual Fish Fry fundraiser so the funds stay in the community, particularly the three districts—Sheldon, Galena Park, and Channelview.
On Tuesday, they also partnered with the county to deliver baskets to homebound seniors.
Nino said that the baskets are made for families who are struggling.
“They’re not asking for the food, they’re getting up and going to work, but just having a hard time making ends meet. They are extremely appreciative and thankful for the baskets,” she said.
Nino said a lot of the kids didn’t even have shoes or socks, so she donated socks to help.
“Some of them are wearing their siblings’ shoes, but didn’t have socks, so I bought socks for them,” she said.
They are so appreciative; she said it makes you want to help. The project costs approximately $20,000 and the food is purchased from local grocery stores who also appreciate the support.
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