By Marci Shatzman
That was Mayor Scott Singer cleaning off tables. Boca Chamber VP Sarah Pearson serving meals. Pam Weinroth overseeing the gifts, and a slew of Rotarians among the 150 mostly repeat volunteers.
All mainstays at Town Center at Boca Raton’s eighth year serving deserving families their holiday meal and giving free presents to kids in the closed mall’s food court on Christmas Day.
“We’re the only mall that does this,” said a proud Sal Saldana, the mall’s longtime general manager and Boca Chamber chairman this year. “This means something not only to the community we serve, but the people it impacts.”
Like Rotary Club of Boca Raton’s Gary Hildebrand, driving the delivery truck from Boca Helping Hands to the mall all eight years. “We help with the logistics, storing the food and gifts,” explained Helping Hands’ executive director Greg Hazle.
Like Boca West Children’s Foundation’s Pam Weinroth. “We have more volunteers than usual,” she noted, including students from Spanish River and Olympic Heights high schools and Pinecrest. It was her idea not to wrap the presents so kids could see what they want to pick, from basketballs to toy trucks, dolls and stuffed animals.
Setup in the mall starts at 7:30 a.m. with tables covered in red cloths and fresh flower centerpieces. The mall’s Santa, a stilt walker, a magician and a juggler made the rounds at tables, as hundreds of guests arrived from families served by Boca nonprofits like the Fuller Center, Peter Blum Family YMCA and Boys & Girls Club.
This year the theme was North Pole, so a hot chocolate station with all the trimmings joined the mall restaurants and Ocean 234 lined up in a row, ready with food.
“We serve a three-course meal,” said Town Center’s marketing guru Jeannie Roberts.
Diners arrive in shifts, and greeters like Rotary’s Vanessa Havener escort each family to a table. “We’re all here!” noted the club’s Neil and Trish Saffer, auctioneers.
“This is the greatest community event in Boca,” said club president David Dweck.