A Christmas story: Santa has a new home A Christmas story: Santa has a new home (December 21, 2005)

By Marjorie Mader

Almanac Staff Writer

Santa has a new house this Christmas season in a former Sunset magazine model vacation cabin, donated to the Ecumenical Hunger Program, and now re-assembled by volunteers on the organization's site in East Palo Alto.

"It's beautiful," said Nevida Butler, the driving force behind the nonprofit organization that serves more than 10,000 low-income and homeless people during the year.

The 400-square-foot, one-room cabin, built as a model for a Sunset magazine celebration weekend in Menlo Park in 2002, will be a distribution point for toys and food during he holidays.

"Already 700 families have signed up for holiday food baskets and toys for the children," said Ms. Butler. "We will serve over 1,000 households with lots of children at Christmas time, our busiest season."

Children can have their picture taken with Santa and go home with a toy when they visit the home at 2144 Pulgas Ave. in East Palo Alto now through Thursday, December 22. Hours are 10 a.m. to noon and 2 to 4 p.m.

There are things for children to do in the decorated house -- face painting, arts and crafts projects and decorating cookies -- while their parents are picking up food baskets, said Ms. Butler.

The one-story model vacation cabin was "a big hit" at the 2002 Sunset magazine celebration weekend in Menlo Park, said Peter Whiteley, senior building editor at Sunset.

Architect David Wright from the Nevada City area and Mr. Whiteley designed and built the cabin on the Sunset site to show "how surprisingly spacious a 400-square-foot cabin can be," said Mr. Whiteley.

Modular panels, called structural insulated panels, were used. A 400-square-foot deck wraps around two sides of the cabin, and there is a covered porch, giving the feeling of more space.

"We were delighted to give it away to a deserving group," said Mr. Whiteley.

Volunteers dismantled the cabin in Menlo Park and re-assembled it at the project's site in East Palo Alto.

Habitat from Humanity volunteers poured a new foundation and rebuilt the cabin. More volunteers installed gutters.

Donna Dunwoody, a volunteer and member of the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, handled the decorating, which included installing bamboo flooring and having professionals paint the interior a sage green and the exterior an adobe color similar to the Sunset buildings.

Students, including from Eastside High Prep in East Palo Alto, and Girl Scouts were among volunteers who turned out to decorate Santa's new house for Christmas.

"We're thankful for our strong support," said Ms. Butler.

Ms. Butler and a few of her helpers will stay at the site through Christmas Eve, because she said, "We want to be sure all the families who need help get help at Christmas."

After the holidays, the Ecumenical Hunger Program plans to use the cabin as a children resource center, where children can receive mentoring and help with homework.
INFORMATION

Santa's house is at 2144 Pulgas Ave. in East Palo Alto. Hours are 10 a.m. to noon and 2 to 4 p.m. through Thursday, December 22. Children can have their picture taken with Santa and go home with a toy. For information about the Ecumenical Hunger Program, go online to www.ehpcares.org or call Nevida Butler at 323-7781.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.