Seeing the joy on children’s faces is payment enough for Adopt a
Family volunteers, according to those who do.
Every December Analy, Brook Haven, Hillcrest and Orchard View
Interact Club students participate in a Sebastopol Rotary Club
project that entails showering several less fortunate families with
gifts and holiday meals.
This year, 24 families – who come recommended by local churches
and schools – on Dec 17, will answer knocks on their doors and open
them to gift bearers, according to Pauline Pellini, rotary advisor
at Brook Haven School and coordinator of the Adopt a Family
project.
Interact students shop for the Christmas presents using money
raised by their clubs and the Sebastopol Rotary, agents at Wine
Country Group Realtors pool their resources and purchase food for
the families’ holiday meals, and then everything is taken to the
Sebastopol Fire Department, according to Pellini.
Then on that magical day in December, the interact students,
Rotarians, realtors and firemen all meet up at the fire house and
wrap the presents, assemble the food boxes, and then they hop
aboard fire engines (from Sebastopol and Gold Ridge fire districts)
and deliver the gifts.
“It’s the most heart-touching day; it’s amazing, we pull up with
the fire truck, the kids unload the food and the presents. To see
the joy on their faces, it’s just wonderful,” Pellini said.
“It feels good to give gifts to people who might not otherwise
get presents,” said Brook Haven eighth-grader and Interact club
president Riley McHale. “My favorite part about it though, is
seeing the looks on the kids’ faces when you hand them their
presents. They are always really excited, sometimes surprised,” she
said, noting this is her second year participating in the program,
which is one of her favorite projects.
