Damona Anderson recalled the year she spent too much on Christmas presents, and ended up with a shutoff notice because she couldn't pay the electric bill. She's not letting that happen again.

"I have to handle business first," she said. "We can't sit in a house with no lights."

Nor does she want her tree -- at this point dark, due to a wiring problem in the lights -- to sit with no presents. The Garfield mother of seven, ages 1 to 16, will be at Morningside Church of God in Christ tomorrow for its long-established Toys for Tots giveaway.

The church doesn't restrict its program to members like the Andersons, allowing families from throughout the Garfield area to sign up for the holiday party. Church food bank coordinator Towanda Young said 94 children are registered.

"There will be cookies, punch, eggnog and gifts," said Ms. Young. "I think it brings out the community, and lets the community know that there is help out there, and all you have to do is ask, come out, and receive."

The community needs the help this year, she added. "The demand is very, very high" because of the limping economy, she said. "There's a lot of people out there hurting, and a lot of people need help."

The church, under Pastor Lamont B. Shields, is more than just a place for Sunday services, offering noon and evening prayers, Bible schools, outreach programs for recovering addicts, street ministry and much more.

Ms. Anderson moved to Garfield around two years ago, from Lincoln-Lemington, and the church embraced her family. Her eldest daughter, Jamiah, will play Mary in this year's Christmas play, while son Jabari, 13, will be a wise man. Daughters Jaleesha, 12, and Janessa, 2, plus sons Jauren, 10, Jajuan, 3, and Jamier, 1, are also no strangers to the Dearborn Street church.

After a few J names, Ms. Anderson explained, there was no turning back because she "didn't want anyone to feel left out."

Her kids get rave reviews from Ms. Young.

"These older children, they take on the role as parent to these little children, and it's just touching to see how caring they are to them. They make sure that they're OK and take them by the hands, and discipline them."

Don't imagine for a minute that it's easy. The youngsters, of course, are a handful, as when Jajuan got a hold of a hair trimmer this week and shaved a band down the middle of his head. Luckily her husband, a barber, finished the job.

The older kids "are helpful, but it can be challenging," said Ms. Anderson. "They're teenagers."

The message she tries to impart this time of year: "God let Jesus be born, and he came to save us. ... It's about giving. Don't always be about receiving."

That can be a tough sell in an age where kids compare designer clothes and collections of $50 video games. Living from her husband's earnings and modest public assistance while she tries to use her fashion and cosmetology background to get back into the work force, she has no choice but to manage the kids' expectations.

"I haven't really begun shopping because the prices are so high," she said.

Last year, the church's program played a big role in brightening Christmas. Jauren can thank the church for a remote control car. Jaleesha got a purse.

"It looks more plentiful under the tree than what I could give," Ms. Anderson said.

The Marine Corps Toys for Tots program is supported in part by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Goodfellows Fund, which works every year to make sure no children wake up on Christmas morning without a gift.

We hope you will join this effort by making a tax-deductible contribution to the Goodfellows Fund by using the coupon on this page or online at www.post-gazette.com/goodfellows.

Every donation is acknowledged in the newspaper.

Toys will be given out to parents and guardians of needy children at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh building at 420 Boulevard of the Allies, Downtown, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today and tomorrow.

Those wishing to obtain toys should have photo ID and be accompanied by their children or bring documentation of the children's ages (for example, birth certificates or insurance cards) and proof of government assistance.

Today's total: $10,860

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