Published December 11, 2025
BY GRACE GRAHL
As families in Monterey County look towards the holiday season, many wonder if they will even receive any gifts, yet these local nonprofit organizations prepare to bring the holiday cheer by giving gifts, food and support to families in need.
Community Partnership for Youth is an organization that supports children and families with after-school and summer programs to keep kids from being victims of violent crimes. During the holidays, CPY distributes paper angels to local businesses to purchase a gift and a book for each child who goes to their programs.
CPY volunteer helps a boy wrap a gift for their family members in Kohl’s. Courtesy of SHARI HASTEY
With this project beginning in 2000, Shari Hastey, the executive director of CPY, has seen the growth of the Angel Tree Project, as 900 angels were distributed last year to local businesses. Contrasting from a book or gift drive where children do not get to pick their gift, Hastey is determined to give the children their choice of gift during the holidays.
“It’s my passion. It’s my calling,” Hastey explains. “We don’t tell them what we want to give them, we ask them what they’d like.”
Hasety describes how many kids get labeled when it doesn’t reflect their true personality, and she believes every child deserves a present during the holidays. With sponsors’ help, Hastey and every other member of the CPY team is able to brighten children around Monterey County’s holidays.
CPY accepts Carmel High School volunteers anytime of the year, especially during the holidays when the Angel Project is ongoing and the Kohl’s Christmas shopping is occurring.
While farm workers provide Monterey County’s daily nutrition, Nancy’s Project provides food, clothing and household goods through deliveries to families in farming communities throughout Monterey County. Delivering five days a week to locations in Salinas and Greenfield, volunteers give out nutritious meals, household items and meaningful connection.
Nancy’s Project volunteers load food from Safeway to deliver to the farming communities. Courtesy of MIKE HAYS
“The gifts that we receive from exterior sources are wonderful,” affirms Mike Hays, executive director of Nancy’s Project. “We provide the farm workers food 52 weeks out of the year and feed 1500 people a week.”
Running toy and gift drives, as well as organizing stockings filled with essential items, gives every participant reliant on Nancy’s Project a gift during the holiday season. They mainly deliver food gift cards for the farm workers to purchase food they could not otherwise purchase.
“It’s a matter of helping the underserved,” says Hays. “We are feeding the people who feed us every day.”
Nancy’s Project accepts cash donations year-round, as well as any gently used household items and gifts during the holiday season.
Besides fighting fires and saving lives, Monterey County Regional Fire Department also spreads cheer, one toy at a time. Held from the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve, the fire department facilitates a toy drive to children served by Seneca, a nonprofit organization who helps foster children receive care and mental health support.
Presents are ready to be received by children at the Family Ties Holiday Event sponsored by Monterey County Regional Fire Department. Courtesy of MONTEREY COUNTY REGIONAL FIRE DEPARTMENT
Justin Reyes, the division chief and fire marshal for MCRFD, feels privileged to be a part of the amazing tradition that has carried on even as the recipient organizations have changed from the Kinship Center to Seneca Family of Agencies.
“I’ve just been doing it since I was a firefighter, just carrying on the tradition,” Reyes affirms. “We rely on them getting the stuff out to the people that need it.”
Donations for the toy drive can be dropped off to fire departments in Carmel, Carmel Valley and Salinas Valley.
“It’s more than just the fire department doing it, it’s the community recognizing the need and wanting to support the toy drive,” Reyes says. “We’re just the facilitators, and if it wasn’t for the cooperation of those in the giving spirit, none of this would be successful.”
