ENGLEWOOD, N.J.—In a season filled with holiday charity events, the Mary Jane Sisca Gift Drive is a standout.
The drive, started by Women’s Rights Information Center (WRIC) Board Member Cathy Sisca Pierorazio, will be giving toys to 150 families in need who are clients of the organization.
The Sisca Gift Drive began three years ago in memory of Pierorazio’s mother, who passed away in 2017 of breast cancer. She had been a 17-year survivor.
Pierorazio is a very generous supporter of WRIC in Englewood, an organization that assists women in finding work, housing and career skills to bolster their economic and emotional wellbeing.
“I started the Mary Jane Sisca Gift Drive in honor of my mom, the most generous person I have ever known and it just seemed fitting to align her name with giving,” said Pierorazio. “I come from a big Italian family and we celebrated Christmas Eve at her home. Every year she arranged for Santa to come and hand out gifts to all the little ones. These are moments that become etched in your mind.”
Pierorazio has been involved with the Women’s Rights Information Center for many years, first volunteering on committees for fundraising and eventually joined the board of trustees.
“It is a remarkable organization that reaches so many women and families in our community,” Pierorazio said. “The holidays can be such a joyful time of year, but if you are struggling and unable to provide bare necessities, never mind presents, for your family, it can become a time of dread.”
The Sisca Gift Drive works by reaching out to people in the community and beyond through social media platforms, snail mail, local firehouses and police departments. They create a wish list on Amazon where people can click the link, choose a gift (or two, or three) and hit send. It is delivered directly to the center.
WRIC also asks its clients to submit a list of how many children they have and the age of each child, so that they select age appropriate toys. When all the toys arrive from Amazon, WRIC volunteers then sort, wrap and distribute the gifts.
Pierorazio explained, “We have children as small as newborns to teenagers, so variety is key. Items often seen on the list are the newest Elmo, Legos, headphones, wireless speakers, purses, and cosmetics. The first two years were wildly successful and we hope to knock it out of the park again this year.”
That goal is clearly in sight. On Dec. 4, the generosity of donors was apparent, as two dozen youngsters, accompanied by their parents, busily wrapped gifts that had been collected and stored in enormous red and green bundles. Ysabel Espinal, the drive facilitator, was on hand to help the children set about their heartwarming work.
The toys will be distributed beginning the second week in December up until Christmas Day.
Jolie, 8, said, “I enjoy packing toys because many children do not have gifts on Christmas and everyone should have gifts.”
Her sister, Tia, added, “It feels good to help less fortunate people.”
A mother of three youngsters remarked, “I cannot afford to buy gifts, and without this, my children would not have Christmas!”
According to Espinal, “Our center also gives our adult clients basic items for themselves, such as clothing, dental products and toiletries.“
Looking over the large group that had come to help with the toys, Pierorazio held a framed photo of her mother.
“She would be so proud and so happy to see how the community is honoring her legacy,” she said.