by DONNA HARRIS - SUN HERALD
PASCAGOULA -- Forget the sleigh and reindeer. These Santas slide into town bearing gifts stuffed in eight moving trucks.
Two dozen retired and active-duty New York City firefighters are planning their sixth trip to the Coast, their fourth with loads of Christmas toys donated from businesses, individuals, religious groups, schools and organizations in New York. They'll be making the trek the first week in December and plan to give out toys in Jackson, Harrison and Hancock counties as well as in Bayou La Batre, Ala.
The firefighters first came to the Coast after Hurricane Katrina to bring truckloads of supplies for families in need. On their fourth trip down in four months, they brought toys, too, and Mississippi Santa was created.
An eighth 24-foot Penske truck has been added to the convoy this year. More than half of the firefighters travel with the trucks. The others fly, usually paying their own fares.
Lt. Tom O'Connor of Long Island said the men are again looking forward to participating in the toy distribution. In previous years, they dropped off gifts and headed back, but last year they visited some of the schools and met the children.
Last year, about 800 children in the Jackson County Head Start program received a gift and a book, said Diann Payne, executive director of Jackson County Civic Action. They also made stops in Harrison County.
"The FDNY has been a godsend to Gulf Coast children for the past two years," Payne said. "Without their generosity, many children and families would not have had experienced the joy and spirit of Christmas. We are so thankful and eternally grateful to them."
Connor said the initial trips to the Coast after Katrina were payback for the generosity expressed after Sept. 11, 2001. "We got such an outpouring of support," he said. "When Katrina hit, we felt it was our duty to reciprocate."
Connor corrects those who believe the New Yorkers have adopted South Mississippi. "No, they've adopted us," he said. "For us, it's an honor to come down."
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