Thank you to the Pine Island community
To the editor:
I wanted to update you on the Toys for Tots 2010 toy drive. The Island Grill collected a total of 217 toys thanks to the generosity of our community. Several of the staff members here at the Island Grill volunteered to work at the Salvation Army Distribution Center to help distribute the toys. We had the pleasure of meeting so many nice people like the dad who lost his job after 17 years and then eventually his house. The grandma, who for whatever reason, found herself as the guardian of several of her grandchildren. The proud mom who showed off pictures of her children and beamed when talking about their accomplishments in school. The single mom who used most of the money she saved for Christmas to fix her car so she could get back and forth to work. It was amazing to see the joy in the faces of the families as they had an opportunity to select toys for their children. One mom searched high and low through the tables and was so happy to find a Transformer toy that was on her son’s list to Santa and another was overjoyed to be able to give her son a set of plastic toy golf clubs. Although each person I met was unique, they all had two things in common. They were all very grateful and they all loved their children.
A heart felt thanks to those who shared their good fortune and to those who sacrificed to help these families in need. Thank you Pine Island for your generosity! We are proud to be a part of this community. God Bless and Happy New Year!
A special thanks to the Pine Island Eagle and staff for helping to keep our community informed!
Best regards,
Michelle Mattia
Island Grill