FORT IRWIN, Calif. — Fort Irwin community members lined the streets in their vehicles as Lewis Elementary School staff and teachers distributed more than 1,600 toys to the local community on Dec. 9.
Through a strategic partnership with the American Legion Auxiliary Department of California District 18, the school was able to bring holiday cheer to more than 450 U.S. Army families.
“This was a huge opportunity to bring light to the families. We passed out every single item,” said Taryn Lamoreaux, Principal for Congressman Jerry Lewis Elementary School. “To be able to give them something during these hard times, it’s a nice feeling.”
At the beginning of the school year, the American legion donated school supplies to Fort Irwin Middle School, Tiefort View Intermediate and Lewis Elementary in the form of pencils, notebooks, crayons and folders.
According to Lamoreaux, families pulled their vehicles up to the school entrance where staff handed items through the window to ecstatic kiddos. “We would’ve loved to allow children to pick out their own toy; however due to the COVID-19 pandemic, both events were held with safety precautions in mind,” she said.
