Courtesy photo.
PODS containers to serve as Santa’s Sleigh and deliver thousands of toys to underserved youth in Nyeland Acres community
OXNARD — As racers gear up for this year’s Santa to the Sea half marathon and 5k, local PODS® moving & storage are preparing its fleet of PODS containers for this year’s toy drive. Serving as Santa’s Sleigh, PODS containers will be placed at the finish line of the event to collect unwrapped toys that will be given out at the annual Santa Claus Park toy giveaway.
“With many families displaced from the recent fires that have affected our county, it’s our responsibility as a community to come together and help give back to children and families in need,” said Steve Yapp, owner of local PODS Moving & Storage. “Each year we look forward to being part of the Santa to the Sea race and toy drive, to give a little holiday cheer to everyone in our community.”
The donated PODS containers, filled to the top with toys, will then be delivered to the Santa Claus Park toy giveaway where local fire, police, sheriff and CHP volunteers line Ventura Blvd to unpack and distribute toys to the over 3,000 families and children that line-up each year.
“We appreciate the generosity of responsible corporate partners like PODS to help us serve our community,” said Mike Barber, Founder of Santa to the Sea. “We consider ourselves fortunate that PODS is a strong supporter of our local non-profits.”
The Santa Claus Park toy giveaway began in 2003 when event director Mike Barber realized the community’s need for support during the holidays was growing. He transformed the iconic Santa statue into the starting line for the annual Santa to the Sea half marathon and toy drive and it now serves as a symbol of giving in the community of Oxnard.
About PODS Tri-Counties: Steve Yapp is the owner of three Tri-Counties PODS® franchises that serve residents and businesses in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties.
Dedicated to the local community, Yapp’s franchises have donated hundreds of PODS containers to nonprofit and charitable organizations throughout Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, San Diego and Los Angeles counties since opening their doors in 2005.
A partial list of recipients include: Boys & Girls Clubs, FOOD Share of Ventura County, Casa Pacifica, Toys 4 Tots, California Strawberry Festival, Ojai Music Festival, Relay for Life, C.H.P. Holiday Toy Drive, Salvation Army, Santa Maria Good Samaritan, Oxnard Downtown Management District, Boy Scouts of Ventura County, California Visitors Center, Simi Valley Days, the Oxnard Salsa Festival, and Catholic Charities.
PODS® offers moving and storage the way you need it done, with unlimited time, space and control. When PODS pioneered portable storage in 1998, they introduced the world to a brand new, flexible way to move and store. Now an industry leader, PODS currently provides residential and commercial services in 46 U.S. states, Canada, Australia, and the UK. To date, the PODS network has completed more than one million long-distance moves, four million initial deliveries, and has over 220,000 PODS containers in service.
For more information, go to: www.mylocalpods.com.