PASCAGOULA -- Forget the sleigh and reindeer. These
Santas slide into town bearing gifts stuffed in
eight moving trucks.
Two
dozen retired and active-duty New York City
firefighters are planning their sixth trip to the
Coast, their fourth with loads of Christmas toys
donated from businesses, individuals, religious
groups, schools and organizations in New York.
They'll be making the trek the first week in
December and plan to give out toys in Jackson,
Harrison and Hancock counties as well as in Bayou La
Batre, Ala.
The
firefighters first came to the Coast after Hurricane
Katrina to bring truckloads of supplies for families
in need. On their fourth trip down in four months,
they brought toys, too, and Mississippi Santa was
created.
An
eighth 24-foot Penske truck has been added to the
convoy this year. More than half of the firefighters
travel with the trucks. The others fly, usually
paying their own fares.
Lt.
Tom O'Connor of Long Island said the men are again
looking forward to participating in the toy
distribution. In previous years, they dropped off
gifts and headed back, but last year they visited
some of the schools and met the children.
Last year, about 800 children in the Jackson County
Head Start program received a gift and a book, said
Diann Payne, executive director of Jackson County
Civic Action. They also made stops in Harrison
County.
"The FDNY has been a godsend to Gulf Coast children
for the past two years," Payne said. "Without their
generosity, many children and families would not
have had experienced the joy and spirit of
Christmas. We are so thankful and eternally grateful
to them."
Connor said the initial trips to the Coast after
Katrina were payback for the generosity expressed
after Sept. 11, 2001. "We got such an outpouring of
support," he said. "When Katrina hit, we felt it was
our duty to reciprocate."
Connor corrects those who believe the New Yorkers
have adopted South Mississippi. "No, they've adopted
us," he said. "For us, it's an honor to come down."
