Lopez family brightens Christmas for 44 other families

True to their dedication for the past decade, members of the Sal Lopez family delivered hundreds of toys to children last week in Lincoln County and Mescalero.

As the effort grew and others became involved, space and extra hands were provided at Holy Mount Episcopal church to wrap the many gifts. What began of a simple act of kindness from Lopez' wife, Araceli, to less fortunate children by handing out gifs from the back of their pickup truck has grown into a major enterprise with donations of food from restaurants and of clothing and toys from other stores and individuals, representing thousands of dollars in generosity, Lopez said.

This year 44 families and nearly 90 children were selected for the Lincoln County Episcopal Church Annual Toy Drive through the suggestion of teachers in pre-and regular Head Start under Region IX Cooperative Education.

Speaking Dec. 15, after the gifts were delivered, Lopez said, "There were moments of happy faces, but also tears of joy. Thanking God we were able to contribute something to our community. Thanks for the support of all those who made it possible to bring happiness this Christmas."

His son, Mo Lopez, added comments this week, saying, "We came from nothing when we got here to the states and have slowly built our lives here and it's all thanks to the way our parents raised us.

"This holiday season, be thankful for what you have, because others aren't as fortunate. I've been lucky enough to deliver these gifts to families and their joy is so fulfilling."