It was 32 years ago that the late Denver Councilman Sam Sandos heard that the family of one of his sons’ playmates had no food or toys for Christmas.
Sandos, who grew up poor, understood, so he gave the boy’s family a box filled with food and toys.
On Saturday, that gesture of goodwill was carried on during the Sam Sandos Christmas Basket Program.
About 450 volunteers met inside the North High School gymnasium and filled 1,700 cardboard boxes with enough ingredients for a turkey dinner.
“My father did it because it was the right thing to do,” Patrick Sandos said. “He was an unsung hero.”
Neighborhood men, women and children joined the Sandos family in filling and sorting boxes.
And so did Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, City Councilman Paul Lopez, Denver firefighters, Denver County Sheriff Department officers and members of the Coors Brewing Company Hispanic Employee Network (CHEN).
The boxes were delivered to needy families living in Denver City Council Districts, 1, 2, 3, and 9, as well as parts of eastern Jefferson County.
The Sandos family partnered with Denver and Jefferson County school districts, where teachers, social workers and principals identified the needy families.
“They know them the best,” Sandos said.
Requests for the baskets have steadily grown over the years, Sandos said.
This year’s funding was provided by 49 business, community and individual sponsors, which raised $34,000 for the basket program, Sandos said.
Inside the gymnasium, volunteers worked side-by-side in lines that snaked in and out of the school.
They filled each box with canned cranberry sauce, peas and carrots, fresh potatoes, celery and onions, a loaf of bread, packages of Asian noodle soup and topped it off with a turkey.
Marlene De La Rosa brought 10 members of her son’s basketball team to help out.
“It’s important they contribute to the community where they play and live,” she said.
After the boxes were filled and the deliveries were made, the volunteers were treated to a traditional Sandos family “thank you” luncheon of hot tortillas, frijoles and green chile.
Ethel Sandos-Skripko, 78, Sandos’ widow, said: “He would be so proud.”
Annette Espinoza: 303-954-1655 or aespinoza@denverpost.com
