The holiday spirit shines in south Lincoln County as people celebrate Christmas but also reach out to help the less fortunate

By QUINTON SMITH and CHERYL ROMANO/YachatsNews.com

They bought socks and blankets for seniors.

They gave, packed and distributed hundreds of boxes of food to families in need.

They wrote letters to Santa Claus and lined intersections to see a parade of lights.

And, they joined forces to cook and serve a Christmas week meal to the hungry.

Those were just a few of the more public examples of neighbors helping neighbors in south Lincoln County in the spirit of Christmas this year.

In an area of Oregon and Lincoln County that is thin on social service help, it is often individuals, groups or small, local organizations who step up to help the less fortunate – or spur on the holiday spirit.

Here are a few of their stories.

Neighbor helping neighbor, once again

“I can’t thank people enough … what you’ve done is all going to help your neighbor.”

That’s how Rick Booth, board president of South Lincoln Resources sums up a hectic month of soliciting, gathering and distributing hundreds of boxes of food for the less fortunate in the Waldport-Yachats areas.

“This year was just a blessing all the way around,” he said this week after SLR volunteers filled and distributed boxes of staples, turkeys or hams, and fresh produce to 177 families on Saturday. That effort followed the delivery of food to 147 families shortly before Thanksgiving.

South Lincoln Resources is a 37-year-old all-volunteer non-profit that provides year-round service programs for low-income residents and coordinates the work of other service groups from Seal Rock to Tenmile. Its biggest effort comes over the holidays in November and December.

Last week volunteers scurried around the SLR warehouse in Waldport assembling up to three food boxes per family to deliver on Saturday. The group also got 10,000 pounds of fresh produce from the Perrydale Food for All program and local donations of fresh turkeys and hams.

The program was also the beneficiary of the two-day food drive organized by the Central Oregon Coast Fire & Rescue district.

Booth said there were four pallets of food left over that will be taken to food banks operated by Presbyterian churches in Yachats and Waldport.

“That’s what this community does – it shares,” he said.

A small gift for lonely seniors

On Thursday, five drivers with an informal, all-volunteer group called “South County Senior Secret Santas” delivered 150 bags of Christmas gifts to senior citizens and residents of Sea Aire Assisted Living Community.

It was all the brainchild of Amy Parker of Yachats, who came up with the idea three weeks before Christmas last year and ended up delivering gifts to 98 seniors who were alone. “It was especially important last year because so many were without family because of Covid,” she said.

With some post-Christmas shopping and a little more time, this year the effort grew – including 22 repeat customers. One of those was a man who lost his wife before Christmas last year. “He just said how much the bag meant to him,” Parker said.

Parker and others finished up gift purchases the past few weeks and a small group of volunteers met Monday night at the Tea Room at the Yachats Inn where they spent five hours sorting and wrapping.

Each senior received a fleece blanket, socks, gloves, tea, candy, fruit, cookies and a small gift bag of other items.

Parker plans to continue to grow the local effort and will hit after-Christmas sales and gather donations for next year.

“We hope to have enough people to keep it going. It takes a lot of effort.”

During her “Secret Santa” efforts, Parker also came across a local family with six children who were struggling with finances and housing, much less affording presents for Christmas. So she collected extra money and, combined with her own resources, bought the children winter coats, boots and arts and crafts activities.

“There was a need and I didn’t want to turn them down,” she said. “I have always helped out one family. I worked in soup kitchens with my mother. It’s something we just do.”

Letters to Santa – but no promises

“I just want my Mom and Dad to be happy.”

That was what one child asked Santa Claus for Christmas in a letter placed in the “Magical Mailbox” at the Waldport Public Library.

The first year of encouraging kids to write letters to Santa was the brainchild of Tiffany Miner, past president of Friends of the Waldport Public Library. It was meant to encourage writing and have children visit the library, where they dropped off their letters in the special mailbox.

They received 20 letters, including some from the preschool program operated by Yachats Youth and Family Activities Program. Miner returned each letter with a delicately crafted answer that didn’t promise anything but simply said Santa “was excited for what you may find under the tree.”

In addition to the child who asked Santa to bring happiness to his mom and dad, Miner said many of the children asked for gifts for their parents. “They were very cute.”

And, there was one practical letter, of course.

“One little kid asked for a $100 bill,” Miner said.

No promises from Santa, of course.

Cafe owners combine for free holiday meals

Last year, Trina Prozinski offered a free takeout Christmas meal from her Waldport Café to anyone who was alone, hungry or homeless. Even she admits it wasn’t a smashing success – preparing just 18 takeout dinners during the height of the pandemic.

Not this year.

Prozinski approached Denese and Dennis Shostle, owners of Lazy Dayz restaurant in Waldport and asked if they wanted to combine forces for a holiday meal. The Shostles readily agreed and the result was a busy kitchen and crowded restaurant Monday afternoon and evening.

“She just asked if we wanted to help do this … and here we are,” said Denese Shostle as she greeted diners for a sit-down meal of turkey, ham, potatoes, vegetables and pie and organized the takeout line.

Prozinski expected to serve more than 50 meals.

“It’s for all the people without family or who didn’t have a place to go,” she said. “I just like helping people and seeing people happy.”

A festival of festivities

“There’s nothing like a hometown Christmas celebration. We’ve had so many people tell us what a difference it’s made to them this year.”

That’s how TiAnne Rios, secretary of Waldport’s Beachcomber Days committee, reflected on the array of festivities directed and inspired by the volunteer group, with the help of the city of Waldport, Central Oregon Coast Fire & Rescue, churches and dozens of volunteers.

First, the Newport-based Oregon Army National Guard sponsored wreaths on all 30 of the downtown light poles and then the city’s Public Works department wrapped and illuminated them. “That kicked off the whole celebration and brought people into the spirit of Christmas,” Rios said.

That was followed by the group’s “12 Trees of Christmas” campaign to encourage purchasing from local businesses, a Christmas bazaar benefiting the 2022 Waldport High senior class graduation night party, the Alsea Bay lighted bridge walk, and then the inaugural Beachcomber Days lighted Christmas parade with 20 vehicles led by riders from Seal Rock Stables.

During the parade, Rios was accompanied by Norma Parry, 78, who is largely housebound from a recent accident. “She had never been in a parade before; she was so excited her eyes were dancing as though she was three.”

But it’s the small things that stood out in Waldport’s festival of festivities. Because of health concerns, the parents of one toddler decided not to bring her to a children’s gathering at the COCF&R station for treats and a visit with Santa after the parade. Hearing of the 2-year-old’s disappointment, Rios arranged for Santa to visit her home.

“She was absolutely thrilled,” said Rios. “With the pandemic, lockdowns, wearing masks, people telling us ‘no’ all the time, it’s really healing to feel that genuine, loving feeling of Christmas.”

Christmas spirit alive and well

As executive director of the Yachats Youth and Family Activities Program, Patricia Hettinger saw a lot of generosity this year — and not all directed toward people served by YYFAP, the nonprofit providing low-income families with pre-school and after-school programs.

“It seems like everyone — including our families — was looking for ways to give to others, to support each other,” she said. Not surprisingly, people who brought in donations of money, food and gifts for YYFAP holiday events “were getting a lot of joy from that experience,” Hettinger said. But the YYFAP families themselves were demonstrating a giving spirit, too.

“Everyone’s been through a lot this year with Covid. Of course, kids in the program were so happy to be bringing gifts home with them” after YYFAP’s ornament night, Hettinger said. But also, “We had kids in the program who were bringing things to donate to others who might be in need.”

Families in the area donated food baskets and children’s gifts to YYFAP. The children and families also enjoyed a Santa breakfast, cookie decorating with the Yachats Ladies Club, and inclusion on a “giving tree” put up by the Yachats Community Presbyterian Church.

“The holiday spirit is alive and well in Yachats,” Hettinger said.

Do you have an example of someone or some group that brought joy into another person’s life this holiday season? If so, please share it with others in the comment section below.