Los Robles Hospital plays Santa to troops, families

PRESENTS FOR OTHERS--Volunteers load a truck with gifts for families at the Naval Base, Ventura County, Fleet Readiness Center at Point Magu. The presents were collected from employees of Los Robles Hospital. Back row from left, Avionics Technician First Class Troy Clark; Jim Sherman, president and CEO of Los Robles Hospital; and Avionics Technician Third Class Ian Pisowicz. Front row from left, Avionics Technician Second Class William Vega, Avionics Technician Third Class Sean Awa and the Rev. Michael McDonald, chaplain of Los Robles Hospital.

Each holiday season the employees of Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center, under the direction of hospital chaplain, the Rev. Michael McDonald, donate thousands of dollars worth of toys, clothes and food items and play Santa to special families. This year, the families include those of military personnel serving in Iraq.

Representatives from the Naval Base, Ventura County Fleet Readiness Center at Pt. Mugu helped McDonald and hospital CEO Jim Sherman load a truck filled with presents for the families on base. The hospital donations will go to families of Seabees whose spouses are deployed.

Other families receiving gifts and food were identified by St. Vincent de Paul of Thousand Oaks, Sarah's House Maternity Home of Simi Valley and the Lighthouse Women and Children's Shelter of Oxnard. Representatives from these organizations took the gifts to the homes of those families.