Gift of giving
CHP grateful for response to CHIPS for Kids toy drive for Tuolumne County’s foster youth
It was 29 degrees when Andy Cohen got up Tuesday morning to prepare to drive a Sugarpine Unified District bus full of dolls, hula hoops, bicycles and other gifts for the CHIPS for Kids toy drive in Sonora, to benefit youth in Tuolumne County foster and adoption programs.
Cohen, 63, owner of Andy’s Mountain Grill & Deli in Mi-wuk Village, said he saw an article a couple weeks ago about how California Highway Patrol Sonora personnel still needed gifts, especially for youngsters ages 12 to 17. His daughter-inlaw, Sarah Cohen, 37, owner of True North Pilates in Sonora, helped coordinate, and her daughter, Sky Cohen, 7, helped shop for some of the gifts.
Andy Cohen, who has run Andy’s Mountain Grill & Deli for 25 years, said he and his daughter-in-law worked with other business owners and staff at Mi-wuk General Store in Mi-wuk Village; Macklin Electric, Jenny Moves Homes, and Healy Realty, all of Twain Harte; Ahearns Towing in Sonora; and Kinematic Automation in Soulsbyville to boost the toy drive.
Shortly after 10 a.m. Tuesday, CHP Sonora personnel met the Cohens outside the agency’s headquarters in Jamestown and helped load more
gifts into marked CHP vehicles. The CHP black-and-whites and the Sugarpine Unified District bus, all packed with toys, formed a Santa Claus convoy and drove without lights and sirens to the Tuolumne County Behavioral Health building off Hospital Road to unload the gifts, where they are being stored until Christmas.
Officer Steve Machado, Jeremy Curry, a CHP auto technician, and Scott Schilling, a CHP maintenance worker, helped the Cohens unload gifts from the bus and from the CHP vehicles.
“Each year, the Sonora Area CHP office collects toys benefiting Foster Kids in the Mother Lode,” CHP Sonora staff said in a recent post to social media. “This year has been a difficult year for a lot of kids. We are asking you to help by bringing a new, unwrapped toy to one of our drop off locations. They are accepting donations now through December 18th.”
The drop off locations for gifts are at Sierra Motors in Jamestown; Sonora Ford Subaru and Sonora Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, all on Mono Way; Les Schwab Tires in East Sonora; Foothill Fireplace, Pools & Spas on Eagle Ridge Drive; and Stogie’s Gold Country Lounge in Jamestown.
“We are picking up the toy bins on the 18th from the drop-off locations,” Machado said Tuesday. “So after the 18th, they can drop it off at the CHP Office.”
This year has been tough for a lot of people in Tuolumne County, and it’s been particularly hard on young people, Machado said, with the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting everyone’s routines and things not being normal.
Now, in the midst of the winter holidays that can also be especially difficult for disadvantaged youngsters every year, “thanks to the kindness and support from local residents and businesses, this year, youth in the foster care program will get some kind of ‘normalcy’ on Christmas morning,” Machado said.
Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and its impacts on individuals, families, and businesses, response to this year’s drive “started off lower than normal,” Machado said.
After word got out that more toys were needed for this year’s drive, people responded and “the toy drive took off,” Machado said. “Day after day the toys just kept showing up and we couldn’t be any happier. We can’t express enough our gratitude to everyone who donated toys, bikes, gift cards, money and so on. Thank you to all the individuals who were able to put groups together to collect toys. This year’s success could not have happened without them.”
Every year CHP Sonora personnel help organize their CHIPS for Kids toy drive to benefit youth intuolumne County foster and adoption programs. Anyone who wants to donate can bring new, unwrapped toys to CHIPS for Kids drop off locations at Sierra Motors in Jamestown; Sonora Ford Subaru and Sonora Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, both on Mono Way; Les Schwabtires in East Sonora; Foothill Fireplace, Pools & Spas on Eagle Ridge Drive; and Stogie’s Gold Country Lounge in Jamestown through Friday. After that, people can drop gifts off at the CHP Sonora office at 18437 Fifth Ave. in Jamestown.