People Who Care Give Lessons in Giving at a Tough Season

It was a lesson in giving Saturday, as tiny Emily Fox jumped excitedly down from Santa’s lap, smiled shyly at five real reindeer who stood quietly nearby, and then solemnly explained that she had brought a gift of her own--”for the poor children.”

A Westchester used-clothing store proprietor, Joyce Brock, had publicly invited Los Angeles families to bring their children for a photo session with Santa and his doe-eyed team, in exchange for a $10 donation to the homeless and a gift for a homeless child.

“I brought a ducky puzzle, of a ducky going underwater,” said Emily’s cousin, Tessa Graham, 4, visiting from Northern California. “It’s for children who don’t have a present, but I don’t know where they live.”

Emily, 4, of Santa Monica, shouted: “I want to tell what I brought! I brought a puzzle for the poor children, too.”

‘Both Wanted to Help’

Emily’s mother, Gail Ellis, said her daughter wanted to tell Santa that she was giving the gift, so Santa would know she was a good girl this year. But, in the excitement of asking him for a Barbie Doll ice cream shop, she forgot to mention how good she was.

“We talked to Emily and Tessa about how some kids don’t have a home, or a mommy or daddy to bring them presents, and how if we didn’t bring a present, maybe nobody would,” Gail Ellis said. “I think they understood it really well, and they both wanted to help.”

By lunchtime, scores of families had brought gifts of cash, stuffed animals, dolls and other toys to the store, Place & Co., which will donate it all to the nonprofit People Assisting the Homeless.

Cyndee Spear of Marina del Rey said her 3-year-old, Dani, had gone through her toys at home, selecting several to donate. Dani said she chose a whale “and my dollies” to give away.

“It taught her to bring toys for someone else, and she got a reward because she got to see Santa,” Spear said. “I think it’s a neat idea.”

Brock, the clothing store owner, said she got involved because she believes that unless Los Angeles residents begin helping the homeless, “it’s going to have an impact on all of us. Los Angeles has become a mecca for the homeless, and we have to respond.”

She said People Assisting the Homeless, of which she is a member, emphasizes rehabilitation and job counseling as ways to get people back on their feet, and provides homeless families with a place to stay for two weeks while they seek work.

“On the Westside you may not see many street people, because most are in the Central City, but they need our help no matter where they are,” she said.

Indeed, across town in Hollywood on Saturday, hundreds of the unemployed and homeless underscored that need as they lined up two hours early for a free turkey dinner and live music at First Methodist Church on Franklin Avenue. The event, put on by Arete Relief Services, was a welcome moment in what some families said would be a tough holiday season.

“I’m out of work and out of food, and this is a good deal, especially for the kids at the holidays,” said Ken Hammon, 21.

His two small stepchildren giggled and pointed at a volunteer who hurried past their table with large plates of pies and cookies. Then they turned and busily resumed work on the huge mounds of hot turkey and mashed potatoes on their plates.

Hammon, who has lived in Hollywood for two years, said that “even though we’re down in the dumps, at least the kids are having a good time.”

Across the table, Kathi Provau, 25, straightened 2-year-old Bobby in his chair and talked about the long trip that brought her and her husband to Los Angeles.

“We all packed into a car and we drove clear out from Florida a month ago,” she said.

Since then, she said, the family has lived in a Hollywood-area shelter while both parents look for permanent work. She managed to find a $3.35-an-hour job as a part-time waitress but her husband has had no luck, she said.

“In Florida, things had gotten real bad, and we heard there was work out here,” Kathi Provau said. “But nobody told me about the rents. We can’t afford it.”

Feeling “funny” about getting a free meal Saturday while not giving anything in return, the Provaus appeared early in the morning and helped other volunteers who organized the dinner.

Diana Cushing, executive director of Arete Relief Services, said there were dozens of stories like theirs being told Saturday.