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Marking it’s tenth year, Santa’s Kids – A local Toys for Tots program developed by former Valley Middle School Nurse Sally Pilcer – once again collected toys and funds for Oakland, NJ families who needed a little extra help to make their holidays special. VMS Spanish teacher Karen Drury joined in this year helping Ms. Pilcer organize and manage the project. The VMS PTO held a Holiday Dance and donated all profits. The outpouring of donations and gifts is quite overwhelming. Bags and bags of toys were sorted by VMS students which were to be delivered to the families.
When the program first started in 1999 four families applied for help. The program has grown to include 20 families and although the wish is that no one would need this help, it is again amazing to see the sense of community which makes Oakland a great town. The Coppertree Mall owner donated space for the second year in a row for the group to store and sort the gifts.
The Woman’s Club of Oakland also ran their annual food drive and shared the space with Santa’s Kids. Baskets of food and toiletries were delivered by the Club to families in the community who are in need. Many other local groups and individuals supported this cause by donating gift cards to ShopRite, or money for purchasing items for the baskets.
The Woman’s Club meet the second Tuesday of each month from September to April, excluding January, at 8pm at the Senior Citizens Center. They always welcome new members.
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