By Sean Kimmons, Army News Service
SANFORD, N.C. -- Since the 1970s, Army veteran Jim Annis has been a real-life Santa to the children in his community. He estimates to have made about 250 wooden toys each year -- cars, trucks and even longer semitrailers -- that he hands out to children at a local Salvation Army. This year, at the age of 80, he made nearly 300 due to demand, costing nearly $1,000 to keep the assembly line moving inside his woodshop at home. While Annis gets a lot of the wood for free and some donations to help pay for the wheels and other supplies, he said much of the cost comes out of his pocket. "I get my pay in the smiles on the kids' faces," he said Monday. "It fills my heart with joy."ARMY SERVICE
