By DINA ARÉVALO
Port Isabel-South Padre Press
editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com
With his grandmother helping him to stand, little Alton Johnson immediately gravitated towards a pair of Ford trucks on off-road tires. Soon, he was sitting on the ground happily playing with them while a mountain of toys towered over him just feet away.
The scene was the happy conclusion to a toy drive sponsored by the Cameron County Constable’s Office, Pct. 1 with Constable Pete Delgadillo and his helpers, the Explorers Club.
Delgadillo and the Explorers, high school students from Rivera and Veterans Memorial high schools in Brownsville, bought the toys after soliciting donations for just two days in front of Walmart. They were able to collect approximately $1,500 – enough to purchase 200 toys, Delgadillo said.
The constable’s office donated the toys to the Port Isabel Head Start and the Esperanza B. Garza Head Start in Laguna Heights, but Delgadillo knew there was one delivery he wanted to make in person: Alton’s.
“I heard that they were in need,” Delgadillo said of Alton’s family.
“It means a lot, because I haven’t been working. I’ve been staying home taking care of him,” said Jasmine Johnson, Alton’s mom. “We don’t really get very many toys for him, and for this Christmas, for him to actually get something is a big deal,” she said.
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