PORTERVILLE, Calif.  Organizers at Heritage Family Fellowship are gearing up for "Christmas on the Eastside," an outreach designed to feed and give toys to as many as 2,000 children from the community.
According to The Porterville Recorder, the Dec. 21 event comes just two weeks after the 175-member church organized a similar outreach to benefit poor children in Ensenada, Mexico.
The Rev. Isaac Nunez, senior pastor, said the outreach addresses a "crying need" among the community's disadvantaged residents.
"We want to let the kids know that there is somebody that cares for them, a God that cares for them," Nunez said. "Most of our congregation were on welfare at some time, and now they have jobs and own their own businesses. We want to let the kids know that there's hope for them."
Six years ago the church organized a similar event, feeding 2,300 people and providing toys for 1,500 children at a cost of about $10,000.
"Our congregation, all our people, just got together and donated money for the toys and the food," Nunez said. The congregation responded similarly to this event, the newspaper reported.
Geared toward children ages 2 to 11, the event is open on a first-come, first-served basis.
"Once we run out, we won't have any more," Nunez said.
