On Saturday morning I volunteered at the First Baptist Church in Gilroy, where we gave out boxes of groceries, gifts, blankets, winter coats and turkeys to 700 homeless and low income families. Thanks to the generosity of our community and the efforts of St. Joseph's Family Center, which organized the event, none went away empty-handed, even though 10 percent more people showed up for this annual Christmas event than last year. Some people lined up as early as 5 a.m. in the dark holding their babies in their arms. The line wound all the way around the church and down Wren Avenue for several blocks.

All year long, St. Joseph's, the largest independent charitable outreach agency in South County, collects what is needed for the Christmas Sharing Day. St. Joseph's is made up of the efforts of many community organizations and members who care enough to volunteer to donate time and goods to help those less fortunate than themselves.

Jacqui Merriman, former food pantry coordinator, said it best: "We all work hard to get this work done. It blends all ages, it blends all races, it blends all beliefs into one common goal."

Back in 2007, St. Joseph's had only 150 coats donated for the Christmas Sharing Day. In 2008, that number climbed to 1,200 coats. This year, more than 30 cases of coats were donated thanks to the generosity of this community.

While hanging out with First Baptist volunteer Gloria Ayalla who was working in the coat organizing room, I learned about the many volunteer activities she and her sister Erma are providing this Christmas, including giving free hair cuts to those who have job interviews coming up or who just can't afford them.

As CHP Sgt. Dave Hill prepared to give Judy Howard a ride home, she worried that she couldn't explain the directions to him well enough. She had walked to the church but couldn't carry everything home. Hill assured Howard that he would get her and her Christmas goodies home.

"You just tell me what streets to take as we come to them," he said with compassion as he loaded her groceries into the back of his patrol car.

Children were excited to see a Gilroy Fire Department hook and ladder truck up close and to climb up to check it out as their families loaded up on Christmas goods. Firefighters drive it over each year for the kids to enjoy.

Some members of the Gilroy Presbyterian Church helped with wrapping and passed out cookies to people waiting for pictures with Santa.

The Howell family has been giving the gift of photos each Christmas for nearly 10 years.

"We do the photos because this is our way of serving these families in a way that means a lot to them," Marilyn Howell said.

For Maria Soto, the photo taken of her children with Santa by Marilyn and Dick Howell is the only photo of their child that they have this year. Tears filled Soto's eyes as she looked at the precious photo of her son, Jaime, and daughter, Maria.

"We just don't have the money for a nice photo, and the school photos are too expensive," Soto said.

In a model of how peace on earth should look, I like to imagine Gilroy's Christmas Sharing Day on an even grander scale: a world in which individual differences in belief, style, political views, socio-economic status, age and race don't separate and divide us. All that mattered last Saturday morning was the months of coming together in preparation and getting everything ready for those who came searching for the meaning of Christmas.

If only each of us can carry the generosity of this day of peace and cooperation with us as we continue to give the gift of kindness to others all year long.

Kat Teraji Kat Teraji is communications coordinator for a large nonprofit that benefits women and children. Her column appears every Friday. You can reach her at kattoy@verizon.net.