'It's honestly a blessing': Elgin's Hope for the Holidays provides toys for over 2,100 kids

Ashley Martinez of Elgin said it could have been a tough Christmas for her family this year were it not for the help of the Salvation Army and Community Crisis Center.

The mother of four said health issues for her family had made for a difficult period in their lives.

"We've had a really rough year. It's been a lot," Martinez said. "I haven't really been able to get them anything, so this is a big help.

"It's honestly a blessing."

Elgin's Hope for the Holidays, a combined effort of the Salvation Army Elgin Corps and the Community Crisis Center, provided toys, pajamas, books and a holiday turkey meal for about 800 families during distribution Wednesday and Thursday, said Capt, Rich Forney of the Salvation Army.

"The looks on the people's faces as they're coming out, just so excited about not having to worry about Christmas morning and that their kids' needs are taken care of," Forney said. "It's such a good moment."

It's the second year of the combined effort between the two organizations. Community Crisis Center volunteer coordinator Melissa Owens said working together has made for a smoother process.

"It's a lot of work to select and bag up all these toys. It takes a lot of person-power," she said. "It's easier for both groups to pool our donor and volunteer base, which has some overlap, and now we can help more individual families."

The effort provided toys for more than 2,100 Elgin-area kids.

Katie Palomo of Elgin walked out with a pair of bikes for two of her children.

"My kids are really, really looking forward to opening up gifts, so I'm sure they'll be very excited about the bikes," she said. "I know they'll be grateful."

Kimberly Keith of Elgin said her family's prospects for Christmas would have been pretty grim without the gift help. "It's been hard," the mother of three said. "I've been out of work for a long while. Christmas was not looking good."