Sharing the joy of the season
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune Vineyard Restaurant staff, from left, Brittany Tejeda, Gigi Mariscotti and Chantal Sagouspe look at tags on the tree for the Madera Christmas Basket program.
Once again, in this holiday season, the Mariscotti family, owners of the Vineyard Restaurant, is inviting its customers to experience the joy of giving.
The lobby Christmas tree at the restaurant has some special ornaments hanging from its branches.
Colorful paper tags contain the Christmas wishes of local children written on them.
The Vineyard’s program is in conjunction with the Madera Christmas Basket program, which asks the community to help provide food and toys for the working poor of Madera.
For more than 30 years the Vineyard has shared its Christmas tree with Madera Christmas Baskets. The public is welcome to participate in fulfilling the Christmas needs of low-income families in Madera.
The rules are simple, pick a tag from the tree, purchase the gift requested, wrap it attaching the tag and return it to the restaurant. An example of the request might be “Boy, age 7, Lego blocks,” or “Girl, age 10, baby doll.”
The Vineyard, 605 S. I St., opens for lunch at 11:30 a.m. and closes for the evening at 10 p.m.
On Dec. 18, the gifts will be distributed along with boxes of food and donated clothing to low-income families in Madera to help brighten up their Christmases.
The local non-profit Christmas Baskets program also needs diapers, canned food, baby and children’s clothes and toys for kids of all ages. They are also seeking volunteers to help with distribution.
For information call 706-0323.
