Charity Finds More People in Need This Christmas

With Christmas approaching, Joy Dunbar wasn't sure how she was going to pull off any sense of normalcy for her three children, 9, 11 and 15.

"This year has been really rough. We were homeless for a couple months, then our place we live in now got broken into," Dunbar said on Christmas Eve.

Now the family is facing eviction Dec. 29.

"We have no clue where we are going to go."

Her job as a collection agent means she often has to wait for commission payments. Her small income is subsidized by county assistance. With $50 from her brothers to buy a few gifts, she said she wasn't sure where she would get the rest.

"I went online, just searching for any help for Christmas."

That is when she found Temecula Valley People Helping People. Run since 1992 by Murrieta resident Denny Mighell and his wife Maryann, the organization gathers proceeds from ABC/Firefighters Spark of Love and several other toy and food drives held throughout Temecula and Murrieta.

At a central location (this year, in a donated space at the Target Center in Temecula), Mighell and a staff of faithful volunteers then sort the donated items and prepare them for those in need throughout Southwest Riverside County. After going through an application process, families and individuals are given hand-picked gifts and food items to get them through the holidays.

Last year, more than 10,000 were served. This year, more than 16,000.

"The economy is bad. I don't care what they say on TV; our numbers prove that," Mighell said.

Marianne Parker, a longtime volunteer and past board member for Temecula Valley People Helping People, agreed.

"This year there were more people in need than ever. We've never worked so hard," Parker, said. "But it's my way to give back. Times are tough out there."

Parker's day job involves processing foreclosures for Bank of America.

"When I see those houses, I think, 'What is this family's story? They made memories here," she said.

Earlier on Christmas Eve, Parker said she arranged for a microwave and refrigerator to be delivered to a woman living out of a hotel.

Another longtime volunteer and retired Camp Pendleton Firefighter, David Lee, of Menifee, took 200 stuffed animals to children at Rancho Springs and Inland Valley medical centers on Christmas Eve.

"I just enjoy helping people," Lee said.

For Dunbar, it meant she could give her kids a Christmas.

"If this program wasn't here, I don't know what I would have done this year. It helped me tremendously," Dunbar said.

But Chistmas Eve did not come without a hiccup for some of Santa's elves.

Maryann Mighell had to take a trip to the emergency room. She suffers from vasculitis and had a bad reaction to a medication. While volunteers held down the fort as families streamed in, Mighell accompanied his wife to the hospital. After getting a clean bill of health, the couple was right back to business, taking care of others.