Why give up several hours during a precious Saturday off to drive all around the county and converse with perfect strangers?

If you've been enjoying that for a decade and a half, why would you stop?

The name of this feature is "Been There, Done That" and it usually details the efforts of a reporter or editor doing something they've never tried. But when it comes to delivering items for the Red Stocking drive, I've been doing it since 1993.

That's 16 times, not including the year a head cold forced me to miss the annual tradition of delivering food and gifts to needy families in and around La Salle County. Saturday, more than 100 volunteers in Ottawa and Streator distributed items to more than 2,000 children in need.

So there I was, strolling into an empty store just north of Interstate 80 in Ottawa, prepared to load up The Times van with toys, fruit and hams. It was nice to see some of the same volunteers who make Red Stocking deliveries every year, not to mention new faces.

The assignment was to make 16 deliveries in Triumph, Mendota, Earlville, Freedom Township, Leland and Newark. Among the gifts was a beautiful Flexible Flyer sled, perfect for the snow and ice covering the roads.

"I may take this home with me," I told LuAnn Pierard, one of the Ottawa Zonta Club members who helps organize Red Stocking.

"You may need it," she cracked.

At 8 a.m. I was in the van, with Maggie Frost, The Times' classified ad manager who was serving as navigator. Roads weren't too bad, and within 20 minutes we had our first delivery, to an appreciative family in Triumph.

One of the stops in Mendota listed a street address we couldn't find on the map. Thank goodness for that town's post office: a rural letter carrier gave accurate directions to the house — about 10 miles outside of town.

Getting there was dicey: six miles of road was unsalted and slippery. When we passed through the sleepy burg of Welland to get to the house, we found a situation not unlike what I've often seen before at Red Stocking — a cat on the porch, a barking dog inside and a sleepy-eyed man answering the door.

"Must be rough when the weather's bad," I said.

"Yeah, we don't go anywhere," he said.

We joked around, but a stop in Earlville was a little more emotional. Maggie and I received thank-yous and hugs from a woman on Stilson Street. I've seen a few tears from Red Stocking recipients, but never a hug. These moments make working this event worth battling icy roads and missing a few hours of sleep.

A few blocks away, we got the stare of a child. We try to discourage the kids from seeing their gifts delivered, but most of the parents don't mind. We also received a bark and look from a curious canine, who had to be locked up by its owner.

"Gotta love the animals, but they're a pain in the butt," this dog owner said.

That's OK. I enjoy seeing the kids, pets and grateful parents. If you don't do much charity work, Red Stocking is a terrific way to be part of your community.

Then early Saturday afternoon, after 4 1/2 hours of work and 122 miles of driving, Red Stocking was over. Until next year. Still, I'll carry the memory of our final dropoff — which included presenting the Flexible Flyer — in Leland.

"You don't know how much you made our Christmas," said the woman who accepted the sled.

Actually, I think we did.