How do you get 25 Christmas trees and 25 containers of Christmas ornaments in one rent-a-truck? Carefully, it turns out.
Watching as my co-workers tackle this feat, I can’t help but give advice. I’m one of those Realtors who has probably moved more than most of her clients; I’m an expert at applied geometry — i.e., the art of the cram. When I find out that they intend to sort all of the ornaments back at the office to make sure each container holds an equal amount of holiday decorations, I have to speak up.
“Um, shouldn’t the trees go in first?”
A swivel of heads. Who is this newcomer to our group who dares give advice? And now that we’ve got all the containers neatly stacked in front of the cargo hold, you want us to take them out?
Well, I was just sayin’…
Fortunately,there were nimble children among us, able to scramble into the truck’s hold easily.
I missed the event where they crammed 57 frozen turkeys into a moving truck owned by Scott Williams, a Prudential agent. He reports that they purchased 25-pound birds and delivered more than 1,400 pounds of bird to the Santa Barbara County Foodbank.
But what I’m not missing is the incredible holiday spirit exhibited by my enthusiastic co-workers. Or the awareness — as a colleague noted at a recent office meeting — that we’re lucky to have houses when other people are losing theirs.
Those 57 turkeys helped the Organic Soup Kitchen feed the hungry at Veteran’s Memorial Hall on Thanksgiving Day. Realtor Tobias Hildebrand, who admits he got talked into volunteering at the event, says he experienced such a high that he’s going to help again on Christmas Day.
“I’m going to have to do this every year,” he says.
Those 25 trees bring joy to children who normally wouldn’t have Christmas, says Bonny Uribe of Domestic Violence Solutions.
“They get really excited when they see trees in their apartments and they’re already decorated,” she says.
Toni Guy, co-chair of Prudential’s Marketing Committee, says it’s been harder to help this year because everyone has been hit by the recession. “But we’re still doing as much as we can,” she adds.
It’s a bit overwhelming when you get right down to it. How can one person help, and can one person really make a difference? Lucky for the world, Mother Teresa never asked that question.
Prudential helps by pooling agent contributions into a marketing fund. Every year, we purchase turkeys and wrangle trees and help with Unity Shoppe telethons.
My stepfather once said that if you want to feel great, help someone less fortunate. He’s right. I’m thinking of children who fled homes shattered by violence. I’m thinking of tears replaced by smiles, and the meaning of peace and joy on Christmas Day.
— Laura Hout is a Realtor and writer affiliated with Prudential California Realty. She can be reached at laurahout@prusb.com or 805.563.4082.