By CHRIS LUNDY
Staff Writer

LACEY -- Shopping for your own family is hard enough, but the high school's Interact Club tested their mettle by shopping for anonymous families in need at the Target in Toms River on Dec. 9 at around 7:30 a.m.

Throughout the year, the Forked River Rotary Club makes contact with families who are in need, then collects money to help them out.

The Rotary began with 120 families, Rotary member Leo Tierney said. Members took care of most, leaving 190 kids in 57 families taken up by the Interact Club. The budget is $39 a kid. This is an increase of $9 from last year. "$30 sounds like a lot, but it doesn't go far," Tierney said.

The 43 students broke into groups and were doled out families to shop for. They did not know the names, only the ages. In some situations, they were even fortunate enough to have want lists.

"The Rotary calls and finds out what they want," 17-year-old Jamie Cerino said. "But if they can't get a hold of them, you are on your own." She found an army playset for the young boy on her list.

The younger children in the families rack up the presents, as the toys cost less.

Jess Schlueter, 16, and Caitlin Mahon, 17, managed to bargain shop pretty well. There was a skateboard and a cd player in the cart for the teenage boys in their newly adopted families.

Interact Club advisor Julianne Pignatora circulated among the groups, helping them out if they were stymied on what to buy. "For a 6-year-old girl, you're going to want Strawberry Shortcake or Dora the Explorer."

Snowboards and other sports accessories were the choice gifts for teenage and younger boys. It was easier than choosing from the many varieties of Barbie.

Seniors Brad Hughes and Corey Schaffer debated the relative merits of one pink girly-looking thing over another pink girly-looking thing. They almost had to resort to recruiting real children in the aisles to ask what they would like.

Pignatora asked the children to make sure to include books in the packages. "We want to encourage a learning environment," she said.

When the groups were done with one family, they were handed another. After about three hours, the entire list of 190 was taken care of. The presents were collected together in large black garbage bags, enough to fill a U-Haul. After several hours, they club took the haul into the two buses and headed home.

Chris Lundy: (609) 978-4541 or clundy@app.com

Published in the Times Beacon Newspapers 12/10-11/03