For the 16th consecutive year, Seafarers in the Pacific Northwest continued their show of support for U.S. military families in need of some extra holiday joy.
Participating members, officials, and staff – along with representatives from SIU-contracted companies – raised and contributed about $7,000 worth of new toys to the Santa’s Castle organization, including books, board games, bicycles, electronics (such as earbuds) and more.
“This is especially remarkable as the port this year has had more of its membership at sea than on the beach,” said SIU Tacoma Port Agent Warren Asp.
The SIU has long been a supporter of Santa’s Castle, a year-round program backed by volunteers in the area, dedicated to assisting active-duty military families by providing them with gifts for their children. This past December was no different as Tacoma-area Seafarers hosted a luncheon for the Santa’s Castle staff and readied the supply of gifts that they collected for transport to the “castle” for the organization to distribute to the families.
“This year was a stellar turnout for the luncheon,” Asp noted. “Retired Steward Vicki Haggerty, Recertified Steward Robert Haggerty, Recertified Steward Amanda Suncin, Steward Marylouise Maddox, Chief Cook Dan Axl Monteclaro, and SA Rene Caballero set up and ran the serving line flawlessly for our other members and guests.”
Additionally, a record number of SIU retirees participated in the Santa’s Castle event. One such pensioner is Dana Cella, a recertified bosun who has supported Santa’s Castle for more than a decade.
“This is a great opportunity to show gratitude to the members of the armed forces whose families are struggling during Christmastime,” said Cella. “The impact we make by doing this is relative to the fact that the merchant marine is the fourth arm of defense. We work in coordination with the armed forces and this outreach helps to strengthen the bond between us.”
Cella usually donates bikes to the organization. This year, he donated bikes and participated in the Christmas luncheon where SIU volunteers help to load up the toys that they have collected and transport them to the base, which has been transformed into Santa’s Castle for the service members.
“It’s great to see so many of our ‘old timers’ coming out and socializing with the next generation of mariners,” Asp said. “We extend a vote of thanks to retirees Dana Cella, Terry White, Kevin Gatling, Tommy (T-Man) Belvin, Lewis Johansen and Dennis Skretta among others for joining in on the festivities year after year.”
Additionally, some SIU Government Services Division members, including Bosun Mate Frederick Beck came to the luncheon to assist. “It is always good to see MSC union members drop in and break bread with our deep-sea family here in Tacoma,” said SIU Vice President Government Services Joe Vincenzo.
He added, “We also want to give a shoutout to Crowley Maritime for their continued support of our efforts here in Tacoma by donating yet again two bicycles.”
Santa’s Castle’s mission is to ease holiday stress by providing new toys, board games and books to active military families in Washington State. The organization recently expanded into doing events year-round, such as giving away backpacks during the summer in preparation for the children to return to school in the fall.
Santa’s Castle serves children from birth to 17 years of age for active-duty service members in Washington from all branches: Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard and active National Guard and Reserves. This past holiday season the organization helped 1,913 families and distributed a total of $791,928 dollars’ worth of toys, books, games, bikes, and stocking stuffers.
“We identify service members who have financial need via the service member’s chain of command, through a chaplain or through other community programs made to assist service members,” said Santa’s Castle Executive Director Donna Handoe. “The people who identify the members in need then go to our website and fill out a form to submit the nomination. Once we receive all of our nominations, we contact the selected service members and provide them an appointment to come to our castle during our toy distribution.”
She added, “What we give to the parents all depends on how many donations come in…. A really important part of our program is that parents get to choose. We’re not just handing them something; the parents get to choose depending on what they think their kid would like.”
Anita Vargo, vice president of purchasing for Santa’s Castle, has been participating in these philanthropic events for 13 years. To decide what will be on the shelves year after year, Vargo collaborates with inventory personnel to compile the spreadsheet for suggested donations, which are based on what children requested. She also is largely in charge of sourcing donations and purchasing items from the list, which are used to stock the aisles for families who come to shop for the holidays.
Vargo has seen firsthand the boost in morale that Santa’s Castle provides for families. “It’s the real deal, and many of the families thought they wouldn’t have that big of a Christmas this year, and all of a sudden we’re there to come to their rescue,” she said. “For example, one lady in line wanted a coat for her kids, but they thought we didn’t have any. It turns out that we had two coats which were exactly right size for her kids, and she broke down and cried. It’s just such a sweet thing to see these families and get them what they want.”
The Santa’s Castle staff was grateful to have help from the Tacoma-area Seafarers for yet another year. “Everyone that helped out from the SIU, they’re just amazing,” Vargo said. “If we need help with anything, they always do it. They donate so much that it helps set us up for the following year. Plus, we really enjoyed the luncheon – they’re great cooks and the food was really amazing.”
“The SIU is a huge help with all of their donations,” said Handoe. “Not only do they donate some really good stuff, they also help us get it back to the castle…. They’re a great support.”
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