A time of giving

The incessant beeping might have been annoying, but the five women were visually excited to be involved in the shopping spree.

The two registers beeped as store employees rang up carts full of presents — blocks, DVDs, picture books, dolls and a stockpile of Fisher-Price items — and this was before the 70 bikes and helmets lined up at Walmart were rung up.

The gifts, more than $13,000 worth, were bought today by employees of Toyota of Huntington Beach and donated to Olive Crest, a foster-care organization for abused, neglected and at-risk kids.

The toys, bikes, gift cards and even a year-long pass to Disneyland, will be the kids’ Christmas presents. While they won’t be from Santa, they will be the only presents some of these kids get, said Sanford Otsuji, the executive director of the Olive Crest Foundation.

The West Coast-based organization, with facilities in Orange County, provides safe homes, counseling and education for families and serves about 1,000 children a day, Otsuji said.

The gifts will go to the organization’s Family Resource Center in Bellflower.

“It really feels good to give back and help those less fortunate than we are,” said Bob Miller, Toyota of Huntington Beach’s vice president and general manager.

The car dealership’s 100 or so staff has been donating to the organization for more than nine years with various fundraisers throughout the year.

“It’s our way to give back to the community every year,” said the dealership’s Vice President and General Manager Bob Miller.

Each year, employees can contribute part of their paycheck to the organization, said Toyota of Huntington Executive Gina Gonzalez.

With the tough economy, Gonzales said its been hard for some employees to donate, but they still managed to give.

Cathleen Wagner, an office manager with Toyota, said it’s important for her to contribute, despite the economy. “There’s more people out there less fortunate that I am, and every child deserves something special,” she said.

The program is spearheaded by Gonzalez, who grew up in foster care. “Obviously it hit home with me,” she said. “I just wish I could be there to see their faces on Christmas day.”