“Santa” Terry Simpson with organizer of the event Kelley McCoy. Photos by Catherine Stachowiak
The Kern River Valley Toys for Tots, and other individual donors in the community sent many toys for the boys and girls attending the Kern River Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Great Christmas Cookie Contest, Saturday December 7, at the Kern River Valley Senior Center.
“All those toys, that big bunch of toys – Santa Claus handed them to the kids for free.”
Kelley McCoy, organizer for the chamber’s cookie contest said. “Toys for Tots donated toys for the kids, who came to the Great Cookie Contest. They were generous. It was a very generous donation. And Santa gave them away. And a lot of kids came.”
McCoy explained that the toys came delivered in boxes. And the boxes came labeled saying Boys ages 2-4 or Girls ages 7-8. The toys were all very well organized. “Teresa Kat Barnum was actually the one who deciphered which (toy or game) went to which kid,” McCoy said.
Terry Simpson was the good sport acting as Santa for the event.
“Ticket numbers were read off, for a toy give away, of the individually donated toys. Those were for the items that were donated by private donors,” said McCoy.
