Santa benefit to gather food for needy




HOLIDAY HELPERS—The hard workers responsible for putting on the annual Santa Comes to Agoura benefit include, top row from left, Lynda Hoffman, Susan Cooper and Mary Jane McGraw. Bottom row: Steve Bonifede, Cindy Rushing, Michele Baxter, Mary Hendrix and George Annino. Not pictured are Carol Hendrix, Michele Hanley, Ann Houseal and Patti Wolfson.

HOLIDAY HELPERS—The hard workers responsible for putting on the annual Santa Comes to Agoura benefit include, top row from left, Lynda Hoffman, Susan Cooper and Mary Jane McGraw. Bottom row: Steve Bonifede, Cindy Rushing, Michele Baxter, Mary Hendrix and George Annino. Not pictured are Carol Hendrix, Michele Hanley, Ann Houseal and Patti Wolfson.


George Annino simply shakes his head and smiles when asked if he ever thought the homegrown charity he started in his living room some 26 years ago would still be going strong today.

“I never thought it would become this,” Annino said. “But it’s wonderful.”

Not only has Santa Comes to Agoura and Beyond, a charity that collects and distributes food to needy Conejo Valley families, continued for over a quarter century, but it’s gained in popularity.

“We have been able to help over 20,000 families, organiza

Lifetions and individuals in need due to loss of job, a death in the family or other unforeseen situations,” charity organizers saidAccording to Annino, nearly 150 families will benefit from the food drive this year. Although the reach of the charity has grown to include needy families from St. Michael’s Church in Los Angeles, Annino said the charity will continue to focus on families in the Conejo Valley.

“We live in an affluent area,” Annino said. “But that doesn’t mean there aren’t families who don’t need our help . . . The person living next door to you, for one reason or another, may be in real need of the extra food . . When families get into financial troubles here, it’s usually big problems because of the cost of living. You never know who needs help.”

Originally, Annino collected and distributed the food from his Oak Park home, but over the years, the large number of donations they received led the volunteers to organize a dropoff day at the Do-it Center in Agoura.

This year, the food drop event will begin at 9 a.m. on Sat., Dec. 3. Family activities during the event will include face painting, a raffle for an electric bike and the ever-popular visit by Santa Claus. This year, Old St. Nick will either arrive by helicopter or atop a fire truck, organizers said.

Residents don’t need to wait until the final day to donate food, Annino said. Five food drop-off spots in the Conejo Valley will be open today and tomorrow, Thurs. and Fri., Nov. 17 and 18. Drop-off locations in Agoura Hills include the Do-it Center, First Federal Bank of California, the Postal Annex and Starbucks on Kanan Road. In Oak Park, residents can donate at Bean Scene coffee shop in the shopping center on the corner of Lindero and Kanan roads.

Schools from Las Virgenes and Oak Park Unified school districts, as well as Oaks Christian, St. Jude’s and Born Learners schools, will each collect specific types of donations, from canned food to basic toiletries. This ensures that the volunteers can give varied groceries to the families.

In addition, Boy Scouts from local troops will be accepting donations at Ralphs Grocery Store on Kanan Road in Agoura and Albertsons Grocery Store in Calabasas Sat. and Sun., Nov. 19 and 20.

Each family receiving a donation will be given 10 to 15 bags of mixed groceries, a frozen turkey and grocery store scrip. The charity receives the names of the families from various sources, such as school administrators, church leaders or by word of mouth. All families receiving donations remain anonymous.

Annino and his wife of 39 years, Charlotte, first started the nonprofit to teach their children the value of charity.

The importance of helping others was a lesson Annino’s parents, Sicilian immigrants, taught him and his five siblings in their hometown of Brooklyn, N.Y.

Even though Annino’s three children are grown, the tradition now includes Annino’s grandchildren, Megan and Josephine. It’s the tradition, Annino said, that keeps him going today.

“Yes, we donate food,” Annino said. “But it’s also about getting kids to care about making a difference. If you don’t get them involved, there’s no way they are going to learn.”

Annino said the charity has grown so large that he relies heavily on his team of nearly a dozen volunteers.

The volunteers start the planning and preparations for the December event in March. Although each volunteer works a full-time job, they said Annino’s infectious enthusiasm keeps them coming back every year.

“There’s something about George that makes us want to come back each year,” said Susan Cooper, one of the event’s organizers. “He makes you want to work really hard to make the event a success.” Cooper will host a jewelry boutique at this year’s event.

Monetary donations may be mailed to the Agoura Optimist/ Santa at 6602 Maplegrove St., Oak Park, CA, 91377.

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