Merced groups feed less fortunate, hand out gifts on Christmas Eve

Nonprofits and churches came together on Christmas Eve in the hope of brightening the holiday for hundreds of people in Merced.

Many people looking for some help during the holiday lined up outside the annual meal and toy giveaway at the American Legion Hall.

Patricia Ortega, 50, of Merced said a recent death in the family made buying toys for her grandchildren harder than usual. She came with two daughters and five grandchildren in tow.

“We just barely got him buried, so we’re trying to get the kids some presents,” she said. “We just couldn’t afford to get them a tree or nothing.”

The day’s events would mean a happier holiday for the little ones, she said, who would also get some clothes from the mission.

The Merced County Rescue Mission facilitates the day’s events, but it does that with the help of people willing to give their time, money or other donations to needy families and children.

One group which donated cash and vegetables, as well as served meals to hundreds of hungry people, was the Indo-American Sikh Community of Merced. A resident of Merced for more than 30 years, group member Kirpal Singh Grewal said the spirit of helping others is part what Sikhs are called to do.

“We are taught you should earn a living by honest and truthful means, share whatever you have with others and remember God,” he said.

There are about 100 families involved in the Sikh group, Grewal said, which is working its way up to building a temple in the Merced area. “(Merced’s) a good community,” he said. “People are very nice, kind, generous and trying to help each other.”

The mission organized a similar event last month, where people were served turkey and other fixings. The Thanksgiving turkey meal typically draws a larger crowd than its Christmas ham counterpart. The turkey meal last month fed 836, according to mission staff.

Also at the holiday meal was Peter Ardison of Merced, who brought a dozen children from his church, Christian Church of the Valley. He said he wanted to give the youngsters a chance to pick out a present and participate in fellowship.

“Most of them come from families that don’t have a lot,” the 60-year-old said. “So we just thought this would be a good thing to get them here.”

Like Grewal, Ardison’s religion teaches him to show kindness to others.

After the hundreds of eaters were done with their ham and pie, they were invited to look through clothes gathered by the mission. The children picked from stacks of toys collected from a toy drive in town.

Bruce Metcalf, the mission’s executive director, said the mission does what it can but the annual meals are really about the people of Merced helping one another.

“I really enjoy seeing the community come together,” he said.

This story was originally published December 24, 2014 at 11:57 AM with the headline "Merced groups feed less fortunate, hand out gifts on Christmas Eve."