Winters Senior Foundation members and guests brought unwrapped toys for the Winters Fire Department Gifts for Kids program to their annual Christmas event on Dec. 4. WFD Fire Captain Art Mendoza said the Winters Senior Foundation has partnered in helping to provide toys to Winters youth at Christmas time since their inception and have continued to serve as a valued team member and support of WFD efforts. “The seniors have always been very supportive of anything we do,” said Mendoza. “They’re always thinking about the fire department and our community.” Fire Captains Matthew Schechla and Cheyne Baumgart joined Mendoza in picking up about five to six bags full of toys from the WSF holiday event to bring back to the Fire Department. WFD annually hosts a toy drive to help families who are facing challenging times and need support in providing their children with toys for the holiday. The program underwent a name change this year and will be called “Gifts for Kids” going forward. Mendoza said there was confusion with the old name which was being confused with the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots program. While the local area’s Marines toy donation program serves all of Yolo County, some Winters families due to hardships may be unable to make the drive to Woodland to participate. WFD’s Gifts for Kids directly serves those who live within Winters. While the Winters Volunteer Fire Department Association generally helps to fundraise for WFD programs and needs, Mendoza said this year the WSF was key in bringing in a large amount of the toys for this year’s efforts. “They’re supportive of us,” said Mendoza of the WSF efforts of donating toys. “Every year it gets bigger and more generous.”]]>
