Christmas For Everyone Is A Great Volunteer Opportunity

Are you looking for an opportunity to help bring the spirit of the holidays into the lives of those less fortunate? If you are, Mary Perez has just the place for you.

Perez has been coordinating Christmas For Everyone, an annual event in which hundreds of families in Contra Costa County get a holiday meal and gifts, haircuts, and clothes, for the past 26 years. Martinez Patch asked Perez about her annual event, and how people can volunteer for this very moving and festive event.

Q: How long have you lived in Martinez? 

I moved here in the summer of 1959 and graduated from Alhambra Union High School.

Q: How did you get involved with Christmas for Everyone? 

I day dreamed about C.F.E. as a way to fall asleep for many years, something I would do when I got rich. Then 26 years ago in November God just showed me I didn't need to be rich, I just needed volunteers. We fed 100 homeless people the first year but realized that all our volunteers were either the working poor or lonely and needed Christmas also. So it became Christmas For Everyone.

Q: What other activities do you volunteer for? 

I have been involved in many projects through the years, including Teens Who Care, Taste Of Martinez and the Alhambra Decade Reunions. Right now all I am focusing on is C.F.E.

Q: What motivates you to spend so much time helping others? 

There were a couple of motivations for doing what I do. When I was young and working but struggling to make ends meet a wonderful person tried to give me some money to help me through that period. I wouldn't take the money at first but after months of arguments I finally said I would take it if I could pay it back. The person told me they had more money than they knew what to do with in their lifetime and that what I could do was to pass the blessing on and help others in need.

Q: Especially this time of year, a lot of people want to volunteer their time, but don't always know how. Where can people who want to volunteer find opportunities? 

People can go to our web site and sign up or call our phone number (925) 228-2233. Our hours are posted on the web site.