FRISCO -- This time of year should be a joy, but for way too many of us, the holidays are more about heartache and hard times.
“Very tough to the point that we have to cancel our holidays and come up with stories about why Santa couldn’t visit this year," local mother Alma Davila-Loredo told NewsFix Saturday.
No Santa. No gifts. No Christmas.
The past few months haven't offered much in the way of holiday spirit for the Davila-Loredo family.
“This year is really, really hard," she said. "We just lost my dad in September, so we weren’t going to do anything.”
The loss of Polo Davila, Jr. hit the family hard, especially Alma's three kids -- 18-year-old Celeste, seven-year-old Esteban, and three-year-old Gabriella -- but Saturday offered one hand out for the holiday.
“We’re excited to partner with the Dallas Cowboys, The Salvation Army, and Minnie’s Food Bank," said Carol Roberts, Community Relations for Albertson's/Tom Thumb. "This is our second year, and we’re feeding 400 families a nice Christmas dinner.”
Davila-Loredo and 399 other families with worries and concerns of their own could let the stress fade for a moment because they knew their families would get a festive feast this year.
“He really looks forward to that holiday feast so knowing that that’s going to be available really helps," Davila-Loredo said, looking down at her son, Esteban.
It helps even if the other troubles aren't yet solved.
“Not opening a gift is very important to a lot of the kids, but at least we have food, and that’s very important to us," she said.
And that small relief is what what it's all about for the founders of this feast.
“It touches your heart. It makes you want to do more," said Acosta Fresh Foods Vice President Cliff Richardson. "It’s a fun thing that I think we can all do a little bit more of.”
