Charles Burton, a senior technician, has been making these deliveries for 16 years. "I love helping her, plain and simple," he said.
Steve Ambrose, a maintenance worker who has helped out for five years, said, "Each year, I do more and more." Three years ago, Warfield convinced him to dress as Santa Claus to hand out Christmas deliveries. He does it every year now. "Hard to say no to her," Ambrose said.
For as long as she can remember, Warfield said, she has volunteered for one group or another. She still also does charity work for her church, New Psalmist Baptist on Old Frederick Road. She grew up in the Gilmor projects in West Baltimore, and when she was 12, her mother died during childbirth, leaving her father to raise five girls and a boy. She said her childhood gave her the ability to recognize when people need help.
Her two bouts with lymphoma only strengthened her resolve to help others. Through radiation nine years ago and chemotherapy last year, Warfield kept right on with her holiday project at Grace. "I would go and get my chemo and tell them, 'Let's go. I have to get back to my families,'" she said.
Warfield began working at Grace in 1987, and that same year she started her holiday help for Curtis Bay. The first few years, co-workers donated canned goods and money, and Warfield and her daughter, Loretta Warfield-Davis, now 38, wrapped everything at home and made most of the deliveries themselves.
The donations snowballed, and soon people began recognizing her for her work. About a decade ago, Warfield made a pitch to Grace's then-president and chief executive officer, Paul Norris, for financial support from the company. Every year since, the Grace Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the $2 billion international chemical company, has contributed $3,000. When he was mayor of Baltimore, Gov. Martin O'Malley declared March 2, 2001, "Loretta Warfield Day" to honor her charitable work. Last year, CNN filmed her making Thanksgiving deliveries.
This April, Warfield and her daughter traveled to a company leadership conference in Chantilly, Va., and she gave a presentation about her project. "Grown men were crying!" she said. Afterward, employees from as far away as Japan gave her checks and cash - including foreign currency. The Grace Foundation increased its contribution to $7,500.
