Twenty-two gallons of milk went into this year’s hot chocolate on Hillview Road, one for each year sisters Kayla and Mara Winfrey have run their Toys for Tots stand.
They were 2 and 4 years old in the photo the Winfreys shared before the crowd got busier, bundled next to a small table in the front yard.
And on Dec. 12, the tradition carried on.
Families came from Homewood and beyond, including Tinley Park. People dropped donations into the box, grabbed their cups and caught up with neighbors and the Winfrey family.
Homewood police officers also stopped by with a $2,000 donation check for Toys for Tots, thanking the Winfreys for keeping the tradition going before heading back out.
Chuck and Jamie Chapman came with their daughters, Hadley, 8, and Hayden, 6. When asked for a review, Hadley rated the hot chocolate “a 15 out of 10,” and Hayden pushed it higher to 20. Their parents said they come back each year to support Toys for Tots and to help the Winfreys keep the tradition going.
A few steps away, longtime attendee John Kowalisyn tried to count the years he has shown up.
“Five or six,” he said. When he can’t make it, he donates. “A lot of people want to give but don’t always have an outlet. This is an outlet.”
Fran Lorenz arrived from Tinley Park with her granddaughters, Ava and Emma, coming straight from a school cooking class. They held their cups closely and offered quick thumbs-ups before turning their attention to the cookie table.
Across the street, neighbor Susie Goldberg joined. Goldberg has lived on Hillview Road for 52 years and has seen nearly every hot chocolate stand the Winfreys have hosted.
“I think I’ve been to every single one, but maybe missed one,” she said.
Nearby stood Vietnam War veteran Chuck Funke with U.S. Marine Corps veteran John Beele and his wife, Nancy. Beele talked about the years of watching families return to the stand.
“It’s for the neighborhood and the people. Everybody gets along, and you watch the kids grow up,” he said.
At the center table, Kayla and Mara were busy whipping hot cocoa. Their dad, Dave, mentioned the 22 gallons of milk it took to make it possible, still a little surprised at how far the stand has come.
The community pieces were easy to spot: cookies baked by their former second-grade teacher, Mrs. Schillings; homemade marshmallows from neighbors; donations dropped off without prompting.
“People come back no matter what,” Mara said. “They make things, they bring things, they want to help.”
She said her favorite moment comes later, when they shop for toys with the donations.
“Seeing all the toys together is pretty astonishing. You don’t always see the outcome when you donate somewhere. We see it all at once.”
Twenty-two gallons for 22 years. A tradition that continues because they do.
