A line around the block of an estimated 4,000 residents circled Sepulveda Recreation Center in Panorama City on Saturday, Dec. 9, as families waited to receive a couple of toys from the “Miracle in Mission” toy giveaway hosted by the LAPD Mission Division and LA City Councilmember Imelda Padilla.
“I want to say this is probably one of the biggest ones [toy drives] in LAPD history that we’ve done,” said LAPD Captain James Townsend of Mission Division.
“Chief Moore was here a little bit earlier and he said he hadn’t seen anything like it.”
With a police helicopter, cruisers and motorcycles parked at the center of the event for kids to get a close look at, the LAPD was very visible at the helm of the event.
Police cadets painted kids’ faces and assisted with arts and crafts, officers dressed as Darth Vadar and the Grinch, and detectives helped kids pick out toys.
This year’s collaboration, however, brought a lot of smiles.
The event, which was held over the last few years at the LAPD Mission Division Station, received a new look and park space location with the help of newly elected Padilla, whose office brought in all the additional organizations and resources.
The full-day event included food distribution, resource booths, live music, actual snow and of course a visit from Santa.
“It literally is a miracle how many resources we put in one spot,” said Townsend.
Toys-4-Tots continued to be the main sponsor of the event, donating 20,000 toys for the kids of the Northeast Valley.
The children took their time while searching up and down the piled-high tables, picking out two to three toys each. And there was no shortage of choices – kids walked away with everything from arts and crafts kits, coloring books and bubbles, to scooters, train sets and Bluetooth speakers.
In addition to corporate sponsors, there were several local sponsors including the San Fernando Valley Car & Truck Club Council, Mission Community Hospital and the San Fernando Elks Lodge.
A Grateful Community
Sandra Marage brought four of her six grandchildren to the giveaway. She said her daughter is a struggling mother who learned about the event from her child’s school.
“It’s really nice. We needed the help this year because the economy is so bad. Last year, you know, I didn’t need to do this. I worked, and I was able to buy many gifts, but this year is not the same,” said Marage. “So we appreciate it. We really appreciate it.”
Her grandkids, who had already taken photos with the Grinch and the life-size gingerbread people, were excited to take a photo with Santa and his sleigh.
With snow-making equipment brought in, kids were able to slide down a big mound of it. It was Cesar Santiago Davila Sanchez’s favorite part of the event.
“The snow was really beautiful for the kids. They got to experience something different because it never snows here in California,” said Sanchez. “It was a nice touch.”
Unemployed for six months, he said this past year has been a difficult time for his family. Sanchez’s wife stays home to care for their daughter who has autism, making the loss of income a heavy burden for the family. He said getting toys for his four kids helped and the event brought some joy to families in the community.
It took Sandra Gomez and her family about an hour and a half to reach the front of the toy line – which she said was a worthwhile wait so that her kids could get the headphones and speakers they had been asking her for.
But toys were just the start.
“I’m going to go get some diapers. That’s going to help a lot,” said Gomez as she headed toward the resource booths.
Delivering More than Toys
Alongside the Child Care Resource Center booth which provided free diapers and wipes, were 18 other organizations ready to contribute.
Metta Youth distributed clothes, Plaza Comunitaria Sinaloa provided information about educational and workforce development programs, Padilla’s office raffled off Christmas trees, Champions in Service had two barbers providing free holiday haircuts and North Valley Caring Services (NVCS) distributed food.
“I brought a truck full of food,” said Manny Flores, the Executive Director of NVCS. “So it’s about 50 to 60 thousand pounds of food. We brought poultry, chicken, fruit [and] boxes that have rice, beans [and] canned food.”
Set up near the north edge of the park, most families stopped by NVCS at the end of their visit, piling chicken and canned goods on top of their carts and strollers already filled with toys, diapers and resource pamphlets.
Flores said NVCS also provided food for the unhoused people, who told him they were cleared from the park before the event.
“One gentleman told me they threw his tent away. He went to the restroom and when he came back, his tent was gone,” said Flores. “I think they were warned, to be fair to the city.”
“We can’t force anybody to leave, but we also have to make sure that it’s safe for our community members,” said Townsend. “We reach out, give them [unhoused people] resources. Let them know that you don’t have to be in the park. There’s other places to go.”
Location, Location, Location
Mission Division serves the communities of Arleta, North Hills, Mission Hills, Panorama City, Sylmar, Knollwood and Blythe Street.
Padilla said this community is often overlooked. It’s an area filled with apartment complexes, one of the most densely populated in all of Los Angeles. It is a heavily working-class neighborhood with a large immigrant population, who don’t always receive the best services.
Because people in this neighborhood often have to go to multiple places like churches, agencies or nonprofits to find different resources, Padilla’s goal was to pool organizations together in one space and make those resources readily available.
In addition to the benefit of having an event that was a “one-stop shop”, the central location of the Sepulveda Recreation Center was more accessible for community members than it had been in the past.
Gomez, who walked over with her kids, was thrilled to have this event near her home. A sentiment reiterated by other community members and event organizers, who said they’ll be back again next year.
“We need more of this. We need to create more opportunities, more spaces with community resources for people to enjoy,” said Padilla.
Enjoyed reading your article. I just want to make one correction, Darth Vader was not portayed by an LAPD officer. Vader was with a group of Star Wars cosplayers invited by the LAPD. We are members of the LA Squad of the 501st Storm Trooper Legion.
It’s the premier Star Wars costuming club in the world.