Santa Claus comes early

Christmas came early for a group of Shafter children when Santa Claus paid a visit to the Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo on Monday morning and handed out presents to all of the children.

This was made possible by Aera Energy, who has been so generous with their resources and their time," Director Mary Lopez said. This visit was one of a series that Aera will be making in the area. CAPSLO is based in San Luis Obispo County, but they serve 11 different counties throughout California, including Kern County. They are a private, nonprofit organization that operates thanks to federal and state grants as well as private donations. Serving low-income families, CAPSLO addresses needs specific to each community.

Representatives for Aera played Santa's elves as he arrived and met with all of the children. As Santa sat in his chair waiting to hand out presents, the children sang several Christmas songs they had prepared just for him, including "Jingle Bells" and "Twinkle Little Star", complete with hand motions.

After each child's name was called, and their picture taken, they had the chance to go up and give Santa a hug and receive their gift. On this visit, Santa's bag was full of educational toys that will help the students continue to learn their alphabet and numbers.

CAPSLO, which offers the same services as CAPK (Community Action Partnership of Kern), is located off of Highway 43 near Scaroni Avenue at the Shafter Migrant Camp. The CAPSLO Center has a large playground and several well-equipped classrooms that cater to various activities throughout the day. "Our services start at 5:30 a.m. and end at 5:00 p.m. Parents who are working and need child care for their children can receive our services free of charge," Lopez explained. "Unfortunately, a lot of people don't even realize we are out here. We are looking forward to continuing to grow our clientele and serving as many children and families as we can."