Sisters Dulce and Camilla Ordaz, who attend South Tama, were happy to receive gifts from Santa during an event held at the Marshalltown Hy-Vee last Friday afternoon and sponsored by Radio Z 95.5 FM. Photo by Robert Maharry.

MARSHALLTOWN — The frigid temperatures and road conditions of last week’s snowstorm threw a wrench in just about everyone’s holiday plans, but it didn’t stop Tama-based Spanish language radio station Z 95.5 and Hy-Vee from making Christmas extra special for about 40 kids currently attending Marshalltown and South Tama schools on Friday afternoon.

The event, which was held at Hy-Vee and included a complimentary meal courtesy of the store, was originally scheduled for Thursday but was then pushed back a day due to the weather. The kids who made it Friday got a chance to sit down on Santa’s lap and tell him exactly what they wanted for Christmas, and Radio Z Sales Manager Maria Fragoso said it made her emotional to see the looks on their faces.

“It’s just because we see the need, the need to put a smile on those kids’ faces. Because each kid is going through something really hard,” she said. “It does tear you up, but it makes you really happy. I mean, some kids ask for the smallest stuff, so it makes you really happy to put a smile on their face.”

This was the second year Radio Z has put on such an event, and it grew exponentially from the first iteration, when they bought toys for 12 kids. As Fragoso noted, their requests are often incredibly simple: last year, one child simply wanted Cap’n Crunch cereal instead of the knockoff brand his grandmother usually bought.

“None of the kids asked for electronics. Either they wanted a coat, a pair of boots or shoes,” Fragoso said.

It’s also special for Fragoso and her team, which included General Manager Diana Lopez and DJ Pepe Guicho on hand Friday, to have built a business — the only Spanish language radio station in an area with an ever-growing Hispanic/Latino population — that has become successful enough to give back to the communities it serves after over 12 years on the air. She said it was easy to get Hy-Vee onboard after taking the gifts to kids’ homes last year, and she can’t wait to do it again in 2023.