Elks show their heart in Lakewood Ranch with toys for children in need

Ruth Perez-Hernandez was sifting through hundreds of toys at the Lakewood Ranch Elks Lodge, a big smile covering her face the entire time.

It was Dec. 16, but you couldn't tell Perez-Hernandez that it wasn't Christmas morning.

She was helping Denise Gattuso, the founder and executive director of Prodigal Daughters of Sarasota, pick through donated toys to bring back to those staying at the nonprofit.

Prodigal Daughters is a 24-month residential program for women and children. The nonprofit specializes in helping women and children recover from addiction and other life-altering circumstances, such as abuse. It is faith-based and 100% donation funded.

It was selected by the Elks to be one of the beneficiaries of the annual Elks Toy Drive, which is run by the Elks at both the state level and in the Mighty Southwest District, which has the Lakewood Ranch Elks Club as a member.

More than 7,500 toys were collected at Walgreens stores in Manatee and Sarasota counties, and Elks volunteers picked them up from there, sorted them, and made them available to organizations helping children and parents in need at Christmas.

The banquet room at the Elks Lodge was stuffed with toys, everywhere you looked. Perez-Hernandez and Gattuso were selected toys for their nonprofit before the next organization came, and the next., and the next.

Photo by Jay Heater

Perez-Hernandez knows firsthand how important these donations will be. She and her two small children are residents at Prodigal Daughters.

"This is their Christmas," she said of all the children at Prodigal Daughters who would benefit from the Elks Toy Drive. "I am so thankful for these gifts for my babies. I am trying to restore my life."

Volunteers from the Myakka City Methodist were waiting to make their selections.

"Without the Elks (and the Elks Toy Drive), I don't know what we would do," said Mark Dawn, a lay speaker at the church, which distributes the toys to those in need.

Volunteer Sue Goodman notes that the area has many migrant farm workers who will benefit from the donations, along with even a greater number of those in need due to recent storms.

Dawn, Goodman and another volunteer, Sue Adams, were packing up the toys for the church.

"There are a lot of people in need," Adams said.

Photo by Jay Heater

The Elks Toy Drive was run by co-chairs Darrin Simone and Faith Frost, who are both past exalted rulers of the club.

"This gives you a warm feeling," Frost said. "This is the time when you want to give and share."

Although it is a huge effort, Frost said it is worth every minute of work.

"It pays you back triple," she said of the joy of giving back to the community.

"We are about community," Simone said.

The Lakewood Ranch Elks Club had about 24 people volunteer to work on the committee to collect toys and sort them.