Tree of Angels provides for families in need
Sierra View, FCC, many others team up in program
Pandemic or not, Sierra View Medical Center’s staff are always in the spirit of giving and this holiday season was no exception as they, in partnership with the local Central California Family Crisis Center (FCC) for the seventh year, provided 75 families with more than 200 wrapped gifts, turkeys, gift cards, toiletries, and more.
“This really helps a lot because I have six children from a 1 year old to 18,” said Celestina, who preferred not to use her last name. “There is no way I could have gotten all of this. I am very thankful.”
The mother appeared humbled as she looked at a large sack of toys she was handed.
In addition, she also received a $75 gift-card towards groceries at Town and Country Market, a $60 gift-card and a $5 coupon towards Black Bear Diner restaurant for a family meal out, toiletries, diapers and wipes — all part of SVDH’S Tree of Angels initiative — where staff each takes an “angel” off the tree and shops and donates gifts for the children of families in need.
SVMC staff each picked an angel off the tree and then shopped for the family.
SVMC also donated 300 turkeys to the local Family Crisis Center, which kept 100 of them to pass out to the families, and gifted the other 200 to the Porterville Gleaners.
“A lot of families rely on this and it really helps. This year we heard a lot of families were affected by COVID and lost family members to COVID. Others had homes that were burned down and it is these kind of families we are grateful to help during the holiday season,” said Mary Culver, executive director, FCC.
Referrals for families in need are received from their counselors, legal advocates, local schools and other sources; may be a present or past client; and only eligible to receive the gifts every other year.
The turkeys, Culver said, are passed out to SVMC’S staff but many of them decline accepting and paid it forward by gifting it back to the hospital. SVMC then paid it forward to FCC to gift during the “Tree of Angels” program.
“The generosity is overwhelming in our community,” Culver said.
Tracey Canales, V.P. of Human Resources and Marketing at SVMC, agreed.
“What I love is our own local community hospital helps local families,” Canales said.
Canales took over the program six years ago and decided they needed a lot more sponsorships.
“We coordinate it — with help from many people and community partners. We have expanded year after year,” Canales said.
Some of the help also started with companies contacting SVMC.
“Shropshire Containers read about (Tree of Angels) and said he wanted to help. He donated a sea train shipping container and delivered it to the hospital to load everything up, drove it over here, and helped us unload everything. There is no way we could bring all this here on our own,” Canales said as she pointed to a big room filled with hundreds of bags filled with toys.
“Sierra View is honored to assist local families during this holiday season,” Canales added. “It is truly a blessing to see the collaboration and excitement throughout the organization for such a worthy cause. The staff at Sierra View come through every year to ensure these families are able to have a holiday season.”
SVMC’S Board of Directors, Volunteer League and others associated with the hospital also played a vital part in providing gifts and grocery vouchers for each of the 75 families. In addition to the children’s gifts and family vouchers, the hospital held a monthlong supply drive, led by SVMC’S Financial Planning Department and donated hygiene products, first-aid kits, socks and shampoo to provide each adopted family with a hygiene bag full of much-needed personal care items.
Tree of Angel partners include Shropshire Trucking, Town and Country Market, Porterville Black Bear Diner, Porterville Marshalls, Anthem Blue Cross, Medi-cal, Save the Children, Walmart Distribution Center, Maribel Carmine’s sixth grade class at Jim Maples Academy, CA Farmworkers Foundation, and the SVMC’S staff, Board of Directors and Volunteer League.