The population whose hope for a Christmas will rely on the Annual Riverside County Bar Association Elves Program is at a record high, according to attorney Brian Pearcy, who goes by the title Head Elf this time of year.
“Last year we had a tremendous spike of the families in need, about 30%, and this year is even greater,” he said by phone Dec. 11. “We have 113 families this year: 326 children and 125 adults.”
Last year the program helped about 80 families.
The elves bring Christmas – the gifts, the dinner and even the gasoline that enables people to visit loved ones – to Riverside County residents vetted and recommended by county agencies.
“We try to provide a complete Christmas for the family,” Pearcy said. He described the reactions of excitement and gratitude he’s witnessed making deliveries to homes where no festivity was in evidence. “That’s what got me going. There’s no Christmas tree. There’s no decorations. They don’t have much. You come in with this stuff wrapped and the kids are beside themselves. They’re gonna have Christmas. The parents start crying.”
Pearcy has been Head Elf since he started the program in 2000 as president of the RCBA. He said he was inspired by a similar program in his former police department.
Volunteers are crucial for every step in the Elves Program. They are needed to donate money, to do the shopping, to wrap gifts and to make deliveries.
Shoppers are given the recipients’ wish lists, which include things like video games, electronics and cool shoes. In the past, the Elves Program has even given families a bunk bed, a bicycle and a wheelchair.
This year’s shopping trip was Dec. 11, but contributions are always helpful. Pearcy says sometimes passersby in the store will see the volunteers and make donations on the spot. With the growing numbers of families to serve, these impromptu donors are appreciated.
“I’ve been the last day and a half really beating the bushes for fundraising,” Pearcy said.
Wrapping elves will get together at the Bar’s office, 4129 Main St., Riverside, starting at 3 p.m. Dec. 13 and 14. Pearcy said in 2022, when the wrapping elves were able to gather again after not being able to during the COVID-19 pandemic, that coming together and bonding was an important part of the program.
Contributions to the program may be made online here, or sent to the RCBA, made payable to the RCBA Foundation, with “Elves Program” in the memo section. Donations are tax deductible. The foundation’s tax identification number is 47-4971260.
To volunteer or for more information, contact Anna Gherity at agherity@bpearcylaw.com or 951-686-1584.
