San Antonio – Christmas is just a few days away, but thanks to the Oak Hills Spanish Church project, Manos de Cristo, children in a community 300 miles away got to celebrate early.
Misael Gomez is a member of the church and a member of our KSAT 12 News team. He drove six and a half hours to hand-deliver presents and said it’s something he looks forward to every year.
“There is a toothbrush, toothpaste, socks. There is a toy for the child. And sometimes they’ll throw in some school supplies and candy,” Gomez said.
This is the 15th year Misael Gomez has traveled all this way to be part of the group that brings 152 shoebox gifts to children-in-need.
“This is northwest Mexico. This is Monclova. Which borders with Chihuahua. We’re right on the border, which that you while one desert actually. So it’s very, very dry, very arid country. There is a lot of danger still,” Gomez said.
There is a lot of poverty in the area, which means the holiday season might be tough. But church members like Misael arrived to spread the Christmas spirit.
“The community was a very poor community. The kids are so positive. They’re so excited. I mean, there was a lot of yelling and screaming and excitement from the kids and they were just thrilled to be getting a present,” Gomez said.
The hours of prep, the drive and the miles were all worth it after handing kids their presents.
“Smiling and ready to take the box home, because a lot of times they don’t want to open them there. They want to take them home because this is the only gift they’ll have for Christmas. So they want to put it underneath the tree and have it for Christmas day so that they can open it,” Gomez said.