A holiday gift basket effort organized by the Encinitas-based Community Resource Center was in full delivery mode Monday. Hundreds of baskets were passed out this past weekend at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, but these gifts were delivered.
The holiday care packages are designed to spread a bit of the holiday spirit to seniors who are living alone and on tight budgets.
"The basket has a turkey or chicken, this year it's a chicken. They get a bag of goodies and they get a box of food," said Dave Kenin, who gets a little extra pride from helping deliver the holiday baskets just before Christmas.
He and partner Jim Gwinner are members of the Sheriff Department's Senior Volunteer Patrol. They delivered 50 care packages.
"Each red sack has a different number of goods in it. This one has a photo album," said Gwinner.
The bags and boxes are hand-delivered. It is a ray of sunshine for Encinitas resident Robert Ennis. He lives on a fixed income that doesn't leave much room for discretionary spending.
"I can share it with my family, which is even nicer," said Ennis. "Sometimes it is good that you can give a little bit. This gives me the opportunity to give to my children. So that's nice."
The gifts were handed out as part of the You Are Not Alone program, which provides daily telephone checks and weekly visits for retirement-age and disabled people who live by themselves.
