Mayor's Holiday Food and Toy Drive Spreads Cheer in Sea Isle

By Donald Wittkowski In Sea Isle City, she is affectionately known as “Super Elf.” Her dedication and work ethic put Santa’s elves at the North Pole to shame. She is a one-woman wrecking, er, wrapping crew. But 76-year-old Sis Borden politely protests when people try to make her the center of attention for all of the work she does each year during Mayor Leonard Desiderio’s Holiday Food and Toy Drive. “I do it every year because my father always did things for everybody,” Borden, growing emotional, recalled of her late dad, Jim Harris. “He loved Christmas. I do it in his honor.” Borden, who meticulously wraps all of the gifts by herself starting in November, embodies the community spirit of the Holiday Food and Toy Drive, now in its 26th year. From left, volunteers Antimo Ferrilli, Rich Seib and his 13-year-old son, R.J. Seib, get gifts ready for delivery. Borden is one of the local volunteers, collectively known as the “mayor’s elves," who play a big part in a communitywide campaign to collect and distribute the toys and boxes of food to local families in need. Desiderio, though, has dubbed Borden “Super Elf” for her special efforts. Pointing to the community’s generosity, Borden said she didn’t know exactly how many gifts she had wrapped this year. “It’s impossible to know. More than I can count,” she said. “They’re always coming. Every time I think I’m done wrapping, I’m not. More gifts come in. It’s been a terrific year of giving.” This Christmas, a total of 15 families and 35 children throughout Sea Isle are benefiting from the toy and food drive. Among them is the Corso family, whose matriarch, 89-year-old Marie Zielinski, tragically died in a fire Nov. 29 at her duplex on 54th Street. Pattiann Ponichtera, the assistant to the mayor and organizer of the toy and food drive, noted that local charities, civic groups, the business community and Sea Isle residents all come together to make donations each year. She looked over a long list of donors she had written down on a piece of paper Friday. Among the major sponsors, CASA Payroll Services supplied most of the food, VFW Post 1963 donated turkeys and clothing and the Cape May County Chiefs of Police Association raised $1,000. Local clubs also collect money for the food and toy drive at their holiday parties, Ponichtera said. Bags and boxes of Christmas gifts and food fill a room at City Hall. On Friday, a room on the second floor of City Hall brimmed with colorfully wrapped presents, gift bags and boxes filled with food and treats. After all the gifts were loaded into a van, the mayor and his volunteer elves delivered the presents to local families just in time for Christmas. “Thank you, thank you,” Desiderio said to the volunteers. “You’re making a lot, a lot, a lot of people very happy again.” With its collection of multimillion-dollar beachfront homes, trendy boutiques and iconic restaurants and nightclubs, Sea Isle is mainly known as an upscale summer vacation retreat. However, Desiderio pointed out there are also pockets of needy families who struggle to make ends meet, especially after their seasonal jobs dry up after the bustling summer tourism season. “Because we’re a tourism-driven economy, many people do not work during the off-season,” he explained. “But we help them during the holiday season to ensure that they have enough food and there are enough toys for the children. We’re ensuring that everyone, as best as they can, is having a merry Christmas.” Mayor Leonard Desiderio, center, and his volunteer "elves" load up a van for delivery of the gifts.