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BROWNSVILLE — The cars waited like the patient seekers of meager blessings for the season that is upon us.
They packed the expressway of I-69 Friday and the frontage road around DHR Health Brownsville Hospital waiting to drive past police officers, doctors, Santa Claus and even the big green Grinch who were handing out presents to local children.
All they needed was a voucher. And after that, they didn’t even need that. Every child would receive a present.
“There are cars out there still going,” said Aida Coronado Garcia, chief operating officer for DHR Health Brownville hospital. It was about 6 p.m. and the gift giving had begun at 4. Cars had begun lining up at 2 p.m. for a present at 4750 Frontage Road 77.
“This is a collaboration between DHR Health Brownsville and the Brownsville Police Department,” Garcia said. “Yesterday we issued 800 vouchers for everybody ages 21 and under.”
She stopped to consider for a moment and then said, “Actually it was closer to about 1,000 toys.”
The only thing needed to pick up a voucher was identification proving age. But in the afternoon when the vouchers ran out people still drove up looking for toys for their youngsters, Garcia said.
So in the evening as the sun fell participants in the toy giveaway were out shopping for presents. They wanted to serve every child, voucher or not.
