IID children’s holiday clothing drive warms hearts
BRAWLEY — In the spirit of the holiday season, Imperial Irrigation District employees distributed hundreds of articles of warm winter children’s clothing along with a lot of good cheer Tuesday morning at the Campesinos Unidos Inc. headquarters here.
Families that receive assistance through Campesinos, which helps low-income families, streamed through the organization’s front doors with their young children at their side, sorting through a wide selection of sweaters, blankets, beanies, gloves, jackets, mittens, thermals, socks and more.
For many of these families, the opportunity to be able to provide warm winter clothing for their children couldn’t have come at a better time.
“When we told the parents about IID’s winter clothing distribution for children, some began to cry,” said Carmen Ayala, clerk at Campesinos, who works with the families. “Several told us that they wouldn’t have been able to have a Christmas otherwise. It was so heartwarming.”
Said IID Board President Jim Hanks: “It’s wonderful to see this clothing drive be so successful and touch so many children and their families. We’re proud of IID’s commitment to serve the community. I am moved by the generosity extended to others, especially this time of year.”
IID employees, through their own contributions, donated about 800 articles of clothing that went to more than 150 children. In addition to the distribution in Brawley, employees will also provide clothing to less-fortunate children in Riverside County at the Galilee Center in Mecca.
The distribution culminated IID’s internal
“Share the Warmth” winter clothing drive where employees encouraged their fellow workers to “work together to make this a more cheerful season for the communities we serve.”