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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
Tuesday, December 19, 2000
Christmas Day dinner seeking food, helpers
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, December 19, 2000 - Volunteers and food donations are still needed
for the Pecos Christian Home's Annual Christmas Dinner, which will be held
Christmas Day at the Reeves County Civic Center.
"We need all the help we can get," said Christian Home Director Bruce
Dury. He said they need a few odds and ends to feed the families next Monday,
as well as people to help deliver meals to those who can't make it over
to the Civic Center.
"We still need turkeys, four or five gallons green beans and sweet potatoes,"
said Dury. Desserts are also on the list of the things still needed to
make the dinner complete.
Dinner will be served at the Civic Center from 10 a.m., until 2 p.m.
and all those that don't have a family to spend the holidays with or a
place to eat Christmas dinner are invited.
"We fed 470 during the Thanksgiving meal, which is a record high," said
Dury, who added they are expecting around 500 people on Monday. "Given
the fact that we usually have more during Christmas, we feel there will
be more people than there was during Thanksgiving," he said.
Out of the 500 or so meals they're expecting to serve, about 140 of
those will be from the Meals on Wheels Program.
"Like usual we will be providing the meals for the Meals on Wheels Program,"
said Dury, and delivery people will be needs to carry those meals to homes
around town from the Civic Center.
Along with volunteer delievery people, Dury said they are still looking
for someone who would like to play Santa Claus during the special occasion.
"I didn't find a Santa suit this year, but if anyone wants to play Santa
and they have the suit, we'd really appreciate it, because there will be
a lot of kids here," he said.
Dury said that the main goal is to provide a happy and fun time for
those who attend. "We just want to bring some joy into their lives and
we appreciate all the help from the community," he said.
The community always comes through for him, Dury added, and he's hoping
it will happen again. "Christmas is a magical time and I hope we can provide
some happiness for those who join us," he said.
To volunteer or to donate items call the Christian Home at 445-2049.
"We appreciate everything that is done to help us," said Dury. "Without
the community's help this wouldn't be possible."
`Christmas for Kids' begins delivery of presents tonight
By LEIA HOLLAND
Staff Writer
PECOS, December 19, 2000 - Santa has a lot of elves all over the world
including many here in Pecos.
Sofia Baeza, "Christmas for Kids" organizer, and her staff of Santa's
elves have been very busy this year collecting donations for the charity
that gives the essentials to less fortunate families and children.
Baeza said that after all the applications were accepted she and her
elves needed presents for 511 children in 173 families.
Baeza and all Santa's elves plan to start delivering all the presents
today at 5:30 p.m. and continue tomorrow if they are not able to deliver
all of them.
This year's numbers are slightly lower this year than last. Last year,
Christmas for Kids helped out 521 children, with 181 families benefiting
from the special project.
"We are trying to please everyone," Baeza said, adding that she has
noticed that a lot of new names of families on the list.
The project benefits families in Pecos as well as surrounding communities
including Barstow, Balmorhea and Saragosa.
This is the fifth year that Pecos has had "Christmas for Kids," according
to Baeza, and she said while this year's numbers are down, the trend has
been upwards overall and they might have to turn people away in upcoming
years.
"We did not turn anybody down," she said. "We may have to in the future."
Baeza said thanks to the donations and participation from local businesses
and community members they are fortunate to not have had to turn families
away so far.
"It's the community that comes through," she said. "Everybody wants
them (the families and kids) to have a Merry Christmas."
Baeza said that although anybody may make donations all year round,
most of the fundraising begins in October and November.
This year's goal of raising $6,000 was almost met, Baeza said overall
they have raised $5,900.
Baeza said they were able to save about $400-500 on wrapping paper,
boxes and tape because a company out of San Antonio donated red plastic
bags to wrap the gifts in.
"It saved us about 200 hours of wrapping time," she said.
Baeza said that if the families were not at home when all the elves
stop by they would come back. She also said the families might call the
Reeves County Sheriff's Department if they were not home when the elves
came by.
Youth basketball league sign-ups still underway
PECOS, December 19, 2000 - Sign-ups are continuing through Dec. 29 for
the Reeves County Community Sports and Recreation Department's winter Pee
Wee Basketball pre-season fundamentals program, while registration for
just the youth basketball league runs through Jan. 5, 2001.
The program is open to all boys and girls between the ages of 5 and
12. A birth certificate and signature from both parents is needed at the
time of registration, along with the $10 entry fee per player.
Registrations will be taken at RCCRD office in the old Pecos High School
gym weekdays between 5 and 10 p.m. For further information, call 447-9776.
Weather
PECOS, December 19, 2000 - High Monday 56. Low this morning 19. Forecast
for tonight: Partly cloudy. Low in the upper 20s. West wind 5 to 15 mph.
Wednesday: Partly cloudy and breezy. High in the mid 60s. West wind 15
to 25 mph: Becoming north during the afternoon. Wednesday night: Increasing
clouds and colder. Low in the lower 20s. Thursday: Mostly cloudy and colder.
Highs near 40.
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
Copyright 2000 by Pecos Enterprise
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