Volunteer decides to act after reading of plight in local newspaper
Toys for Tots saves Christmas for local family
Volunteer decides to act after reading of plight in local newspaper
BY MATT AUERBACH
Staff Writer
MATT AUERBACH George Orzo (l-r), Linda Orzo, Chief Warrant Officer Nick D’Andrea and George Orzo Jr. bag toys for children at the Toys for Tots Metuchen offices. METUCHEN — This time of year, a lot of people talk about "the spirit of the season." George Orzo lets his actions speak for him.
Orzo, of Sayreville, is the manager of the Metuchen-based branch of Toys for Tots at 296 Amboy Ave., where he and his wife, Linda, have volunteered since 1998. This year their son, George, 11, is joining them for the first time.
At Toys for Tots, the elder Orzo is responsible for collecting and distributing all the toys and making sure they wind up in the hands of those in need.
That might be enough of a good deed for most folks, but not for Orzo.
When he read about the plight of East Brunswick resident Diana Garrabrant and her family in the newspaper this month, he felt he had to get personally involved.
An article in the Dec. 4 Suburban detailed the story of Garrabrant, who along with 99 others, was laid off from her job at the Green Tree Chemical Technologies plant in Sayreville on Nov. 21.
"We’re not going to have a Christmas this year," Garrabrant told a Greater Media Newspapers reporter.
Once her husband read the article, he had to act, said Linda Orzo.
"George felt he had to respond because this is what Toys For Tots is all about," she said. "We had to help them.
"We called the paper and got in touch with the reporter who wrote the story," she said. "She put us in touch with Diana, and once George and Diana talked, the rest was easy."
Orzo made arrangements for Garrabrant to receive two large bags filled with toys.
According to Garrabrant, the situation still doesn’t seem real.
"I was in shock when he called," said Garrabrant. "It’s a godsend. It made me realize there really are people who care."
How do her children feel about their good Samaritan?
"The kids don’t believe it," she said. "It touched them."
If it were up to Orzo, his actions would remain a secret.
"The last thing George wants is publicity," said Linda. "He did this because we’ve been where Diana and her family are right now."
Ten years ago, Orzo got laid off from his job at a printing company just as the holidays were coming around.
He made sure that once he got back on his feet, he would do what he could to help those who suffered the same fate.
"That’s what led George and Linda here," said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Nick D’Andrea, the man in charge of the local Toys for Tots chapter, or Mobilization Training Unit New Jersey-2, as it’s officially known.
The United States Marine Corps Reserve has run Toys for Tots since its inception in 1947.
D’Andrea spoke with pride of the work he, the Orzos and the six officers and two enlisted men that make up the local Toys for Tots chapter have done in the past.
"We collected 12,623 toys in 2002 and distributed them to 6,252 children," he said.
Some of the organizations that benefited from this work were St. Peter’s University Hospital, New Brunswick; Metuchen’s Grandparents Association; Kiddie Keepwell Camp in Roosevelt Park, Edison; and various churches in Perth Amboy, Edison and Woodbridge.
How does George feel about all this?
Despite his reluctance to step into the spotlight, his words spoke volumes.
"Look, good people get in trouble and need a helping hand sometime," he said. "You shouldn’t be afraid or ashamed to ask for it. Nobody should ever feel that way."
If you ask him, there is only one way he wants to be repaid for his actions.
"When you’re in the position to do so, pick up some toys and bring them down to Toys for Tots," he said.
According to Garrabrant, Orzo is really something special.
"He’s a wonderful human being," she said. "God bless him."
For more information or to donate toys to Toys for Tots, call (732) 906-0110.