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Community Corner

Caring for Kids Brings Christmas to Needy Students

Outpouring of generosity fuels annual Holiday Fair for 600 area families

By early afternoon, the hallway floor was visible once more.

And for Diane Formoso, that in itself was a sign of success.

Formoso, the founder of Caring for Kids, and her army of volunteers had started lining the hallway of Hudtloff Middle School from end to end on Friday afternoon. By 7:30 a.m. Saturday, a methodically arranged line of bags and boxes sat waiting for recipients to pick them up during the organization's annual Holiday Fair.

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Each package had been filled with clothes, toys and books. A sign-up sheet was attached to the front bearing a number written in thick black marker, and the bags were grouped numerically, by school.

There were 80 bags for Southgate Elementary, 70 for Lakeview Hope and another 40 for Tyee Park. Lochburn Middle School had 35 waiting; 20 were marked for students at Clover Park High. There were more than 650 in all, meticulously assembled to give more than 2,000 children in the Clover Park and Steilacoom school districts a merry Christmas.

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After 11 years, Formoso has this down to an art.

This year, she was particularly impressed with the volunteer effort of students from Clover Park, Lakes and Harrison Prep.

"These kids are unbelievable," she said as three young men walked by with giant boxes. "And people were so generous."

Volunteer Bonnie Dickson, of Lutheran Family Services, felt similarly.

"I hope it's helping someone -- you don't see that -- but you do see the people here, being enthused," she said.

Formoso said she was surprised that the pick-up went so quickly this year. By 12:30 p.m., volunteers were already carting boxes of extra toys and socks to a waiting trailer dispatched to Caring for Kids' storage area. Formoso said they will continue to get requests until Christmas Eve, and that thanks to the community's generosity, they have plenty to spare.

She said that in addition to individual contributions, the Lakewood Walmart donated $1,000 to buy toys, and three local Dollar Tree stores collected 1,000 coloring books and crayons.

Amid the hand-knit scarves and hats and cozy sweat suits, there were sets of Hot Wheels and Barbies in evening gowns. Fisher-Price schoolhouses and boxes of building blocks.

And while the process moved smoothly on Saturday morning, Formoso noted that fewer families than usual had picked up their baskets. Getting to Hudtloff, in the Oakbrook neighborhood, isn't easy for those with no transportation or those on Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

Those families had nothing to fear, though.

As 1 p.m. neared, counselors or other staff from every school in the district trickled in with open arms and empty car trunks, ready to take their students' packages back to school to be picked up on Monday.

Myra Johnson, a counselor at Lakeview Hope, one of the district's poorest schools, said being on hand for the distribution helps establish a connection with the families being served.

"They feel some comfort, like we're a happy family, and we know where it went," she said.

Hillside Elementary counselor Sandy Bonvouloir said that this year has brought so much need, and that Caring for Kids' efforts are "always awesome."

"I feel like Santa," she said, stopping to adjust some of her school's 20 boxes in a loaded shopping cart. "I get to see the sparkle in the parents' eyes when they come in. They're so grateful, and it just comes across so much.

"I wish Diane could see it. It's amazing."

Formoso made sure to send some hams and 10-pound bags of potatoes with each staffer. They started with 700 of each, donated by the Soundview Uniserv Council, the Emergency Food Network and Bishop's Closet.

As one of the last families of the day to arrive headed out, the wife was carrying one of those hams and a bag of potatoes, while her husband boosted a large box containing toys and books for their children, ages 14, 11, 9 and 5.

"It means a lot," said the Lakewood mother, who asked that her name not be used out of concern that her children would find out. "We don't ask for anything; whatever people can do is a huge help."

Hari Nauth, who drives buses for the CPSD, said that seeing the families picking up their boxes is what makes the effort so worthwhile. In addition to helping Saturday, he stood out on Gravelly Lake Drive the weekend after Thanksgiving to raise money for the Stuff the Bus event that precedes the Holiday Fair.

 

"What's great about this is seeing the kids see the bags of toys, and the parents trying to hide them," Nauth said with a laugh. "It's so full of energy and people trying to do their best."

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