Christmas Bureau Snapshots: Maria and Alex Paz

Editor’s note: Christmas Bureau recipients come for food vouchers, toys and candy. Reporter Rebecca Nappi is collecting some of their stories.

Ages: 25 and 9

Live in: Spokane

 Maria (translated by son Alex): The Catholic church told us about the Christmas Bureau, and we also heard about it through WIC (the Women, Infants and Children supplemental food program). She thinks it’s cool they do this program because in this time, there is not enough money to buy toys. She’s thankful for that.

 Alex: My favorite holiday is Christmas. It’s cool. You get presents and you stay home with your family and have fun.

 Maria: She doesn’t understand English, and she likes it because I help her by translating everywhere she goes – to the doctor, the employment office, everything.

 Alex: My dad came first from Mexico. My mom came when she was pregnant with me, so I was born here. When I was like 3, she told me America is cool because there are lots of things to do – like baseball games and everything.

 Maria: I have four babies altogether – two girls and two boys. I have Alex, then Gabriella is 6 and Edgar is 3 and Stephanie is 2 months.

 Alex: I want to be a policeman when I grow up, because it’s cool. I like their cars and their sirens and the police lights and they get to wear guns.

 Maria: She’s thankful because America is a cool place to be and you can learn English and we can become better workers and get better jobs. She wants me to be in the Army or a fireman to help America – or a spaceman.