CHP toy collection is a 'blessing' to hundreds of families | News | bakersfield.com

2022-12-20 16:33:43 By : Ms. Snow Liu

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CHP toy collection is a

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Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 37F. Winds light and variable..

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 37F. Winds light and variable.

Two-year-old Mila Uriarte, being led by Jessica Gomez, holds on tight to her Mickey Mouse stuffed animal which she picked out at the CHiPS for Kids toy giveaway on Monday.

Children and volunteers who accompanied them make their way through the toy-filled rows of tables in the gymnasium at Valley Baptist Church for the CHiPS for Kids toy giveaway event on Monday afternoon.

Robert Rodriguez with California Highway Patrol laughs with a little girl and her new stuffed elephant from the CHiPS for Kids toy giveaway at Valley Baptist on Monday afternoon.

Children wear smiles as they browse the piles of donated toys at the CHiPS for Kids toy giveaway at Valley Baptist Church.

Officer Claudia Devora helps Isaiah David choose a toy at Monday's CHiPS for Kids toy giveaway.

Abby San Juan is full of glee as she picks out toys at the annual CHiPS for Kids toy giveaway on Monday afternoon.

Liz Mesa helps a child decide which toy to choose at the CHiPS for Kids toy giveaway, which distributed toys that were donated during the past month.

Children browse the tables overflowing with toys as they decide which toy to take home at the CHiPS for Kids Christmas giveaway on Monday afternoon.

Laura Mcausland smiles with her selected present from the CHiPS for Kids toy giveaway on Monday afternoon at Valley Baptist Church.

Two-year-old Mila Uriarte, being led by Jessica Gomez, holds on tight to her Mickey Mouse stuffed animal which she picked out at the CHiPS for Kids toy giveaway on Monday.

Children and volunteers who accompanied them make their way through the toy-filled rows of tables in the gymnasium at Valley Baptist Church for the CHiPS for Kids toy giveaway event on Monday afternoon.

Robert Rodriguez with California Highway Patrol laughs with a little girl and her new stuffed elephant from the CHiPS for Kids toy giveaway at Valley Baptist on Monday afternoon.

Children wear smiles as they browse the piles of donated toys at the CHiPS for Kids toy giveaway at Valley Baptist Church.

Officer Claudia Devora helps Isaiah David choose a toy at Monday's CHiPS for Kids toy giveaway.

Abby San Juan is full of glee as she picks out toys at the annual CHiPS for Kids toy giveaway on Monday afternoon.

Liz Mesa helps a child decide which toy to choose at the CHiPS for Kids toy giveaway, which distributed toys that were donated during the past month.

Children browse the tables overflowing with toys as they decide which toy to take home at the CHiPS for Kids Christmas giveaway on Monday afternoon.

Laura Mcausland smiles with her selected present from the CHiPS for Kids toy giveaway on Monday afternoon at Valley Baptist Church.

Not even biting wind and chill air could blow away smiles and laughs of hundreds queued up Monday outside Valley Baptist Church.

That’s no surprise — roughly 2,500 gleaming new toys awaited inside, ready to be hand-picked by eager children. California Highway Patrol officers and volunteers stood ready to guide recipients through tables bursting with precipitously stacked toys during their annual CHiPS for KiDS toy giveaway.

“It’s so hard for families,” Ramona Martinez, 30, said. “You could work and work and right now it’s impossible. Everything is so expensive!”

To cement a memorable Christmas for her four children, Martinez drove to Valley Baptist at 6:30 a.m. to secure a spot in line. Officers guided everyone in at about 1:30 p.m.

Yolanda Martinez, 4, twisted her face right and left while holding mother Ramona Martinez’s hand and said she sought a kitchen set to make a chocolate cake. Then she buried her face in Ramona Martinez’s legs.

Eleven-year-old Bryan Martinez, Ramona’s son, didn’t know what he wanted while waiting with his three sisters. He wanted to contemplate every toy before choosing one. What if you miss something better by rushing?

And that’s what Bryan did.

His siblings had long scampered away with their pick while Bryan continued to scrutinize monster trucks, small toy cars, footballs, Buzz Lightyears and lego sets.

He finally clutched a Fortnite Nerf gun with a long barrel and emerged outside to show his mother.

“My friends like Nerf gun battles,” Bryan said to explain why this toy captured his heart.

Ruby Ceja, 10, perused Barbies and makeup sets and unicorns. But after spotting a cerulean mountain bike, she hopped on to test its wheels and pedals. She wanted to match with her cousin who has a purple version.

Ceja and a volunteer then went to pick the last of two allocated toys per child.

This event helps those going through a hard year to end on a good note, said CHP Officer Tomas Martinez, the public information officer for the Bakersfield office.

“We want these kids to feel that experience … of … coming in to shop for their toy,” Martinez said.

That’s exactly what Elizabeth Hall, 36, likes about this giveaway. Her two daughters wouldn’t have any toys without this event, she added.

“In times of struggle, when you don’t have anything, things like this are a blessing,” Hall said.

But this event serves more than children awarding themselves. 

Lina Thompison, 12, hugged a giant, white teddy bear to her chest as she searched for her last and second toy. The stuffed animal is for her younger brother, she explained.

Exasperation and amusement flashed across Rebecca Patrick’s face when her 3-year-old greeted her lugging a dinosaur gun.

“I love guns,” said daughter Sophia Ballard. The plastic contraption was about half her height.

Patrick kindly asked a CHP officer to exchange the item for a more age appropriate one, and he handed Ballard a set of six barbies, all dressed in different colored, stylish outfits.

Mila Uriarte, 2, couldn’t explain why she picked a stuffed Mickey Mouse and a plastic silver-and-pink microphone. Her mother explained Uriarte couldn’t yet speak in complete sentences.

But Uriarte didn’t have to speak. Her toothy and unfaltering grin when walking through toys expressed volumes.

You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. You can also follow her at @_ishanidesai on Twitter. 

Positive Cases Among Kern Residents: 297,405

Recovered and Presumed Recovered Residents: 290,826

Percentage of all cases that are unvaccinated: 71.62

Percentage of all hospitalizations that are unvaccinated: 83.20

CHP toy collection is a

Personalized Goody Bag Fillers Source: Kern County Public Health Services Department